Intellectual disability nursing is best decision I ever made’

When Jade McFaul didn’t get a CAO offer for general nursing, she wondered what to do.

Luckily, one of her aunts stepped in and persuaded her to apply for intellectual disability (ID) nursing.

Her aunt is an intellectual disability nurse herself and knew how rewarding the job could be. “I can honestly say it is the best decision I ever made,” says Jade.

Jade (21) says “nursing always seemed a natural choice for me”. As well as her aunt who persuaded her to pursue ID nursing, she has another aunt who is also a nurse.

“To me nursing is about giving people support when they are in need. I think ID nursing has been the best one for my personality. I am outgoing, I love communicating with everyone and I also feel I am incredibly patient. In my humble opinion all the traits that make a great intellectual disability nurse.”

She believes the biggest misconception about intellectual disability nursing is that it is a very narrow field, “but it is much broader than you would think. We care for people long term, and our patients have many different challenges. We see our patients in residential care and maybe even in acute settings.”

Jade, from Dundalk, Co Louth, and a former pupil of the local St Mary’s College, did her Leaving Cert in 2021.

She is now heading into the fourth, and final, year of her course at Dundalk Institute of Technology and says “I get such a confidence, that I have come this far and yet still love doing the job I can honestly say I am still learning every day”.

Placements are a huge part of the training for student nurses and Jade has loved these opportunities. “They can be challenging, but nonetheless rewarding”, she says.

Her placements to date include the Portrane mental health institution in north Co Dublin, a house with residents with intellectual disabilities and a school where some children had intellectual disabilities while others had physical disabilities.

“Each placement brings out different skills, for example communication skills, working in a team setting, medical-lab skills. It’s a huge advantage to put these into practice while still at college,” she says.

Once she graduates, Jade plans to work and gain as much experience as possible for a couple of years and, after that, she wants to further her education, possibly with a post-graduate qualification in mental health.