[Kinky Slinky RN]

Hi!! I will be an RN in December (hopefully =), and although I have already signed on to a busy busy ER here, I am interested in pediatric oncology. I have been told that it's an extremely emotionally difficult floor, which is understandable... I have also been told that a few parents do not visit their children because it's too difficult to deal with? Have yall noticed this to be true? Please tell me your opinions, stories, etc... I want to get a better idea of what the oncology units are really like =) Thanks!!!

[navynurse06]

I work on a peds floor where we give chemo on a regular basis. However, the parents of our chemo kids are always here; along with a whole room full of people. In the short time I have worked on my floor we have had several different chemo pts, and I"ve never seen one of them without their parents/family there.
You develop a close bond with this pts b/c you see them so much. And it makes you feel good when they request you to be thier nurse.
I enjoy of of my chemo pts and the families.

[vamedic4]

Originally Posted by KiNKy sLiNkY

Hi!! I will be an RN in December (hopefully =), and although I have already signed on to a busy busy ER here, I am interested in pediatric oncology. I have been told that it's an extremely emotionally difficult floor, which is understandable... I have also been told that a few parents do not visit their children because it's too difficult to deal with? Have yall noticed this to be true? Please tell me your opinions, stories, etc... I want to get a better idea of what the oncology units are really like =) Thanks!!!

Of course this may be true in some cases...on any floor with chronically ill children, but from my experience it's the heme/onc kids whose parents are there whenever they can be!! You are correct in that it is a VERY emotional floor... you get plenty attached to your patients, and you also know they're facing a death sentence but they face it with a bravado and an understanding that makes Superman nothing more than a funny looking guy in tights. These kids are incredible. Be warned that it is a very difficult floor to work on, both from an emotional and intellectual standpoint. Understanding of disease process and the ability to truly "care" for your patients is a must.
Best of luck.

vamedic4
Off tonight (Yaay)

[Kinky Slinky RN]

What is the average patient to nurse ratio?? I just recently applied at Children's in Dallas and they told me it was between 3-4... I was just wondering if thats about average for every other place??

[vamedic4]

Fortunately, 3-4 IS the load at CMC, but you'll find higher ratios elsewhere. They keep the ratio low because these kids are difficult kids to take care of. If you were to work general peds, the ratio would be higher, say 4-5, which is entering into dangerous territory.

[jule]

I´m working now for four years in ped onc and also have some experiences in working with adults.

In europe we have (so far) a different system, so we decide before the training if we go ped or adults.So normally only people who have a special ped training(3years) are accepted to any kind of ped ward
So first question should be children or adults?

What I can say is that
-of course it´s emotional, but to me it´s always like that if you work with
people who suffer from severe or chronic illnesses
- to me it´s NOT like sometimes shown in newspapers or movies
-the choice of the unit may also depend on your peronal
experiences so far, maybe - if you have children on your own- it´s harder for
you to see them sick, if you maybe lost somebody to a bad accident, ER
might me difficult etc...
I would recommend you to do a kind of internship if possible.

[navynurse06]

I work on a general peds floor where we have chemo pts. Our ration is max of 4 (which I've never had the whole time I've been there). The most I've had is 3 and that's only been like twice. But if you have a chemo pt than you usually only have 1 or 2 pts.

[jonabeth]

Originally Posted by KiNKy sLiNkY

What is the average patient to nurse ratio?? I just recently applied at Children's in Dallas and they told me it was between 3-4... I was just wondering if thats about average for every other place??

Hey there! I have working in 5 different hospitals and all of them use a
accuity scale to determine the nurse patient ratio for the hemoc kids. Remember we keep these kids untill the really need the 1:1 of PICU. but I have had many kids for months that were 2:1 paitent nurse ratio. Good Luck In love the HEMOC position