Well, I'm an LPN in a peds office and I've been at the job three weeks now. I have to report that I'm starting, and I stress
starting to calm down.
If your office is anything like mine, just the sheer pace is dizzying. The only thing I'm sure of is that time is key. Even in just the three weeks I've been at this office, I've gained insight into what I need to do personally to be good at my job. And I'm positive that a month or two down the road, I'll have honed skills that I am very aprehensive about right now.
Isn't this just the usual ordinary advice that pertains to absolutely every new thing a person encounters? Sorry, I am not original. Well, I'm not sure if I have anything of value to offer, but...
I do know that the way to a parents approval is through how you connect with their children. It's become so apparent to me in a very short amount of time. Connecting with kids comes pretty easy to me, but sometimes it makes all the difference as far as the general acceptance and subsequent conduct of the respective parent.
As far as the specifics; we don't do blood draws in our office because we have a lab just down the hall from us, but of course we do immunizations. We do so many shots I see dancing needles in my sleep. I try to be relatively quick when its time for injections. After the doctor is done with the patient, I draw up the necessary injections and go back into the room. By this time, the kids who are old enough to know what's coming are worked into a bit of a frenzy (at least some of them are). The less time for them to get even more psyched out the better. I just assure them that it'll be over before they know it, and remain steady and sure as I prepare bandaids, cotton balls, alcohol. We have something we call a shot blocker. It looks like a yellow butterfly. It's purpose is to apply sensation around the injection site, so as to trick the brain into not feeling the injection as much. It works like a charm. I never tell the kids that it won't hurt because I don't want them to think I lied to them. They wouldn't trust me next time, plus it actually would be a lie. Momma taught me not to lie, and I mind my momma...
The smaller kids, I have laying with their lower legs over the end of the table so that I can lean up against them causing restraint, and I have the parent hold the arms and upper body still. This works great, as long as the pressure on the lower legs is enough to keep them from flailing.
The older kids you just have to figure out, because they are all so different. Some are brave, and others are petrified. I'm still trying to come up with strategies for the latter. But for the most part it is always doable, and it gets done.
And of course, SMILE. Smile like you mean it. Not just the polite little quirky upturned corners of your mouth. Give them the Julia Roberts smile, people like happy people. It makes
you feel good too. You know the old saying; "Smile, and the world smiles with you". How very true it is.
Well, that's probably too many words, and not enough of what you were looking for, so...
Good luck to you. I hope you love your job.
Blue
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New Peds Office RN
. Thankfully I work for a great doc that likes to take the time to teach! My best advice is to try to have fun, smile, and treat the kids as how you would want your kids to be treated. I love it & hope I don't ever have to go back to med-surg with adults.
