What is a Disney Nurse? The Happiest Career On Earth

What is a Disney Nurse?

A Disney nurse is a registered nurse (RN) that works at the Disneyland resorts and parks taking care of both guests and park employees, often called "cast members." Disney has First Aid locations in all of its parks, but they also offer care at state-of-the-art urgent response clinics to the hotel guests, all of which require nurses.

Disney nurses provide basic First Aid. But if the situation warrants it, the nurses assess and assist guests in getting to a higher level of care. Having a large population of people in the resort on any given day means the medical staff can see and respond to just about anything.

Some of the job responsibilities of a Disney nurse include:

• Provide nursing care, basic life support, and initial trauma care for all employees and visitors presenting with injuries/illnesses.
• Ability to assess occupational and non-occupational injuries and illnesses.
• Respond to on-site Medical Field Emergencies and provide care and referral as needed.
• Document medical records in the current electronic medical record system used by the Corporate Medical Clinics.
• How To Apply for a Disney Nurse Position

What is it Like to Work as a Disney Nurse?

Imagine working every day at the happiest place on Earth! Being a nurse is a rewarding and fulfilling job but helping those who “make the magic” makes working as a Disney nurse a dream job. Hear from Cheryl Talamantes, a real-life Disney nurse!

Cheryl was an RN-BSN for over 34 years, and spent the first half of her career in all types of departments and specialties including med-surg, telemetry, oncology, pediatrics, orthopedics, home health, and even case management for a large insurance company. All of those positions gave her a great foundation and the versatility needed for serving employees and guests at Disneyland. 

You Get to Work With Guests From Around the World

Now the Guest Health Services manager at the Disneyland Resort in California, Talamantes gets to work with princesses, cartoon characters, and people from all walks of life. “We are fortunate to meet guests from all over the country and the world, and there are situations where we are working through language barriers as well as cultural traditions when it comes to medicine,” she says.

Your Work Can You Take You From the Parks to the Parking Lots

“We are the primary medical first responders at the resort, and can be dispatched to anywhere in our parks, hotels or parking lots,” she adds. The resort is open 365 days out of the year, and the nurses work in all types of weather and physical locations.  

“You could find yourself climbing down into a submarine or up the stairs to a treehouse. We work around entertainment like parades and support four, half marathons a year,” she adds.

The Magic of Working as a Disney Nurse

Talamantes feels the biggest highlights of being a nurse in a place like Disneyland is first, the cast members. “In our own department, we truly are a second family. In my entire career, it’s something I have never experienced to the level we have here. We are fortunate that we work alongside so many other departments who truly respect our team and are willing to assist us as needed,” she says.

“I don’t know of any other type of nursing specialty you can work and be able to have Mickey Mouse or a Princess come by to make an ill guest feel better. Disney nurses understand the magic and do everything they can to provide it for our guests,” she says.

Disney Nurse Salary: How Much Do Disney Nurses Make?

According to Indeed.com, the average Disney nurse salary for the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is $33.97 per hour with an average of $10,500 in overtime per year.

Disney Nurse Salary by Years of Experience

• Less than 1 year of experience: $30.70 per hour
• 1-2 years: $33 per hour
• 3-5 years: $34.64 per hour
• 6-9 years: $35.89 per hour
• 10+ years: $40.13

Source Indeed

Because of the locations of Disney resorts, Orlando, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo, the cost of living in those locations is higher than in other parts of the country. Furthermore, because of the high number of tourists - rent can be significantly higher.

There are definitely perks when working for an international company like Disney. Some employees receive free entrance to theme parks around the world and discounts on hotels and merchandise.

How to Get a Job as a Disney Nurse

When a position opens, it is posted on the Disney careers site for a certain location, as is true for all of the parks’ roles, said Melissa Britt, manager for media/external communications public affairs, Disneyland Resort.

“We have Disney Nurses at each site: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disney Resort. We hire year-round for various roles at the Disneyland Resort,” she says.

Qualifications for Disney Nurses

According to Disney Careers, the basic qualifications required to apply for a registered nurse position at The Walt Disney Company include, 

• 3+ years of Occupational Health or related Public Health field experience.
• Current RN License in state of employment.
• Current CPR/BLS Certification.
• Excellent personal communication and diplomacy skills.
• Excellent computer, social media and presentation skills.
• Seasoned medical professional with the ability to manage sensitive and/or complex situations.
• Must have the physical agility and strength to respond to Medical Field Emergencies including in a Production Studio environment or multi-story office building.
• Must have the physical stamina to stand for long periods of time to walk, climb, lift, squat, push, pull and/or carry heavy objects, up to 30 lbs.
• Must have knowledge of OSHA regulations.
• Must be familiar with Electronic Medical Record Systems.

They look for someone who has a calm, friendly demeanor, and an outgoing personality in order to engage guests of all ages. Helpful traits to have include kindness, patience, and empathy.

A Disney Nurse needs to have strong critical thinking, problem-solving and assessment skills, is confident working autonomously in a first responder role, and is energetic in order to be able to manage the physical nature of the job.

Read More: 12 Unique Nursing Specialties You’ve Never Heard Of

Lee Nelson of the Chicago area writes for national and regional magazines, websites, and business journals. Her work has recently appeared in Realtor.org, Nurse.org, Yahoo! Homes, ChicagoStyle Weddings, and a bi-weekly blog in Unigo.com.