If you already have a graduate-level professional degree in a healthcare or medical field, adding on to your education with a post-bachelor's certificate is one route to working with special needs individuals. For example, New York Medical College offers a graduate certificate for working with children who have special needs in a healthcare environment. Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who have at least a master's degree in a medical area -- or are working toward one -- can take this 15-credit program focusing on helping young patients with disabilities.
Registered nurses, depending on their specific work environment, may have to address patients' special needs that go beyond illness. The University of Minnesota's Center for Children with Special Health Care Needs helps graduate nursing students gain the knowledge necessary to help young patients in a clinical setting, such as children who were born pre-term. Nurses may also train in specialties relating to adults in a medical setting, such as mental health nurses, which typically requires completing a graduate-level program of study such as the University of Akron's Master of Science in Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing.
Physical and occupational therapists work with patients in a variety of healthcare settings to overcome mobility issues and maintain activities of daily life such as dressing and self-feeding. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, physical therapists traditionally need a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree to work as an independent practitioner. These three-year programs provide students with the expertise to work with individuals who have an array of special mobility needs. Additionally, PTs can continue on to receive a specialty certification, helping special needs patients in a specific area, such as geriatrics or pediatrics.
Occupational therapists help patients overcome or cope with physical special needs. Instead of large motor movements, OTs help patients with everyday activities, such as typing on a computer or folding laundry. Working in this field requires a master's or doctorate degree. The University of Kansas Medical Center's Master of Occupational Therapy,for example, provides students with the chance to learn about and get hands-on practice helping patients function on their own. Curricular content may vary by program and area of concentration, with the student learning specialized skills such as helping an autistic child with his play abilities, teaching elderly clients how to use adaptive equipment to get around their homes or working with mentally disabled adults in hospitals or care centers.