Nicky Genders and Brian Brown explore the reasons why people seek careers in learning disability nursing, and how their perceptions and experiences affect further recruitment

Over the past 30 years, as the type and number of healthcare services have changed, the role of the learning disability nurse has evolved. The numbers of learning disability nurses being trained and subsequently registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council have declined during this period, and many learning disability nurses now work in the voluntary, private and social care sectors. Yet there is little evidence about why people choose learning disability nursing as a career. This article refers to the findings of a narrative study of the experiences of learning disability nurses working in and outside the NHS over the past 30 years. It illuminates how and why they chose their career, and provides an insight into how others could be encouraged to join the profession.