2020: The year I qualified as a learning disability nurse

Emily Paterson qualified as a learning disabilities nurse in September 2020. She currently works in a community team in Suffolk helping to support adults with learning disabilities and mental health. Emily loves being a community nurse as no day is the same, working with different professionals and sharing knowledge to provide the best for the people Emily and her team support. Above all, Emily loves making a positive difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities however small it may be

Wearing my slightly faded student uniform, much tighter around the waist than when I first put it on four years prior, I gallop towards my equally elated peers as if all wearing our favourite outfit. We stand proudly, side by side, grinning from ear to ear, a stark contrast to just 6 months ago as we sobbed, deep in assignments and placement wishing the months away. We let out a great big cheer barely hearing the photographer congratulating us as we disassemble into our groups to continue the celebrations.

This wasn’t an unrealistic dream and though finishing my degree was the ultimate goal, the memory of what that photograph taken as newly qualified nurses meant and represented was just one small milestone that was taken away by the pandemic.

Some say nursing had been a dream since the moment they could pick up a toy doctors set. For me, nursing wasn’t even a thought until my early 20s. After completing my journalism degree, I became a support worker for adults with learning disabilities before intending to return to university to complete my MA in journalism. I was keen to become a medical writer and wanted some experience but after just two weeks of becoming a support worker, I knew I'd found something really special and I couldn't bring myself to let it go.

Fast forward four years, having a baby in the middle and here I was with 6 months left of my learning disability nurse training. I was beginning to see the end was in sight and I was so excited about my future as a learning disabilities nurse.

In march 2020 as the first lockdown was announced, I decided along with many other students to opt in which meant joining the current learning disability workforce to complete my final 6 Emily Paterson qualified as a learning disabilities nurse in September 2020. She currently works in a community team in Suffolk helping to support adults with learning disabilities and mental health. Emily loves being a community nurse as no day is the same, working with different professionals and sharing knowledge to provide the best for the people Emily and her team support. Above all, Emily loves making a positive difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities however small it may be.months of training to become a nurse.

However, this led to a personal sacrifice I never imagined I would have to face and I separated from my 2 year old daughter so that myself and my partner, a police officer, could continue to work and keep her safe. It wasn’t a decision that was taken lightly but being premature, we wanted to ensure her safety. I always believed that resilience was a skill taught through experience in the role as a learning disabilities nurse but having the strength to keep working and studying and being the best nurse that I could be whilst also battling with my own personal emotions of missing my daughter, it was clear that resilience became part of my role as a student nurse the day I stepped foot into my final placement.

As I embarked on a three month placement on a learning disability inpatient ward and a further three months working with an intensive support team before qualifying, the patients I was able to meet, care for and support through the pandemic touched me in ways they probably don't even realise today. It was the smallest of memories that kept me going. Whether it was setting up a zoom meeting for relatives to stay in touch, appreciating the 20 minutes of exercise we could share or just simply talking about what we would do when we could see our family members again. It reiterated that having a learning disability or not, together, we shared the same fears, anxieties and joyous freedoms we were allowed at the time. It was a poignant time of reflection so close to qualifying as a learning disability nurse as it made me realise that no other job has given me such purpose and reward than this one. During a time where life without my daughter was emotionally and physically draining, I had a focus. I always wanted to do my best for the people I was supporting, and it was even more important during the pandemic.

During this time, I also produced a video to connect and share my own personal story with other families separated through the pandemic. The video was led by myself, but I worked in collaboration with other student learning disability nurses at my university. We produced a video signing Over the Rainbow and it very quickly went viral. The strong lyrical message behind the song was to keep families connected but also it inevitably raised the profile of my role as a learning disabilities nurse. It received lots of attention and in May 2020 myself and my partner were invited on Good Morning Britain to talk about our story. I was thrilled and overwhelmed by this opportunity and hoped that my ambition in striving to make a difference for people with a learning disability came across to everyone watching that day.

I reunited with my daughter in June and in September I finally received my pin before commencing my full-time position as a community learning disability nurse. But the growing risk of a second wave of the corona virus was amongst daily conversations in my meetings and became a challenging time for a newly qualified nurse. What I thought was supposed to be an exciting time had suddenly thrown me into turmoil. How will I become a good learning disabilities nurse working remotely? Am I really cut out for this? What nurse will I become?

The learning disability community was extremely strong and my feelings of being unworthy turned into strength, my feelings of fear turned into bravery and my feelings of loneliness turned into having a purpose and a place in such a supportive community that shared the same passion as I did. I relied heavily on the support and nurture from other nurses on social media but despite being hundreds of miles away, the work they were showcasing inspired me and was a huge motivator in reminding me about why I joined this career path in the first place. It was also a place to connect with other newly qualified learning disabilities nurses who were able to share their experiences too.

Nearly a year on and I have become inspired by the innovation and passion of all the learning disabilities nurses I have had the privilege of meeting so far. I’m continuing to learn the “covid” way and the “pre-covid” way and I’m sure as I continue my journey, I will be adjusting to another new way of working.

Our journeys into becoming a nurse are all so different but I hope my journey, though unconventional, can be one that inspires others to consider becoming a learning disabilities nurse. I may not ever be able to own that newly qualified photograph as a final milestone, but I now own something just as equally important and that’s my title of Learning Disabilities Nurse. Even a pandemic couldn't stop me from fulfilling my dream.