I am co-designer of a website www.learningdisabilitynurse.com. For the last two years we have tried to increase awareness of learning disability nursing as a career choice. I was both shocked and saddened to read an article in RCN Bulletin calling for MHN and RNLD branches to merge as there are no jobs for RNLDs.
This was based on the fact that no employer advertises in the RCN Bulletin (1,000s of jobs advertised via social media ). The author's argument was blinkered and false and should have been backed up by the RCN with some up-to-date facts. Yes there are fewer jobs in the public sector (Gates 2012 Task and Finish Report) but the private and third sector vacancies are thriving and with Strengthening the Commitment increasing the range of possible roles for RNLDs in the future, if anything the future is bright.
Our website will be pushing for both branches of nursing to reply to this article and we will also be posting 10 jobs per day for 10 days on our website to highlight that there are jobs. I hope you allow some replies to this article to be published as many student nurses will be thinking they have studied for nothing.