A Path to Certified Developmental Disabilities Nursing by Heather Brock

When I started down this path of nursing, I knew I wanted to help people (as all nurses do) - particularly underserved populations. I completed my nursing education, which included clinicals in geriatrics, pediatrics, critical care, home health, etc. and I was ready to change the world. I decided to take a position in the ICU at an inner-city hospital and later moved to the emergency room and trauma team to fulfill the desire I had to help a community in need.

As the years passed, I still had a strong feeling that there was something else out there that I was meant to do, another career where I could truly make a difference. As my circumstances changed, I found myself at a crossroad: should I continue what I was doing or take a leap of faith? So I jumped. I accepted a position with a school district where my role was providing medical care and oversight to students with developmental disabilities. For me, this was uncharted waters; I did not receive much education regarding this population during school and had minimal experience as a critical care nurse. But I did know I loved it, so I took it upon myself to learn. I read books and sought out information on different genetic disorders, chromosomal disorders, and other rare conditions my students had. I felt alone, like I was the only nurse in the universe doing this type of work. None of my nursing friends or colleagues had any guidance for me, as they didn’t receive much education on developmental disabilities either.

After a few years, I found myself at another intersection: a new opportunity presented itself to me, and I had a choice to make. I was offered a position working with adults that had developmental disabilities. By this time, I was feeling fairly comfortable in my new role working with children and adored all of their smiling little faces. After a lot of soul searching, I decided to take the less-traveled path and found myself again in a role that I was not prepared for nor did I even know existed.

In this new role working with adults with I/DD, I found myself having to use all of my nursing skills. Not only did these individuals have a developmental disability diagnosis, they were also aging. This is where my assessment and triage skills really served me well, as I was able to distinguish between life-threatening situations such as heart attacks, strokes, and hypo/hyperglycemia, as well as monitoring health conditions such as blood pressures, mobility, seizures, illness, etc. Little did I know that I would have to use every aspect of my education and nursing experiences to be successful.

On this path I have discovered that I am not alone, that there are other Developmental Disabilities Nurses out there across the United States and the world. A commonality amongst us is a passion for this population and the acknowledgement that better education is needed not only for professional nurses but also physicians and other medical support professionals. The skills of an I/DD nurse are so unique. Unfortunately, I/DD nurses are few, and our importance as a team member is often not recognized. If you have a friend that is a nurse or family member, I encourage you to request that nurses caring for your loved ones learn more about CDDN (Certified Developmental Disabilities Nurses). The process for becoming a CDDN is detailed at the DDNA (Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association) website at https://ddna.org/. DDNA has training and certification available for nurses, and gives them opportunities to belong to a local and national chapter.

The truth is that specialized nurses are needed, according to a study [TA1] by the Center for Development and Learning at the University of North Carolina:

Adults with developmental disabilities were more likely to lead sedentary lifestyles and seven times more likely to report inadequate emotional support than people without a disability.
Those with developmental disabilities were significantly more likely to report being in fair or poor health.
11.5% of women with developmental disabilities reported that they had never visited a gynecologist.
People with developmental disabilities were more likely to have a diagnosis of diabetes than people without disabilities.
26.8% of women with developmental disabilities age 40 or older in a recent study reportedly had never had a mammogram.
1 in 2 people with a developmental disability had chronically high blood pressure.
1 in 3 people with a developmental disability said that they haven’t had any kind of exercise in the past 30 days.
More than 38% of people with developmental disabilities had at least one missing diagnostic code on their health file that could limit their treatment options, funding availability, and other needed services.

As I continue my path in my personal mission of supporting persons having developmental disabilities at Developing Potential’s adult day services, I am loving the journey with each person I support and help toward wellness. Nursing is a blessing and I count it a privilege to provide this support each day to the great friends at DPI.

[Havercamp, S, PhD; Scandlin, D, Med; Roth, M, MPH. “Health Disparities Among Adults with Developmental Disabilities, Adults with Other Disabilities, and Adults Not Reporting Disability in North Carolina.” Public Health Reports. 2004; 119:418-426.]