So, how do you know you're a Pediatric Nurse? Well, other than the typical instances of "knowing you're a nurse"... such as, considering a 5 minute bathroom escape your morning break, excelling at getting and eating your lunch (often while on the phone) in only 15 minutes, wishing you could take just one sip of the nice cold ice water you're bringing to your patient, considering yourself lucky if your shift stays under the 13 hour mark, etc...
There are some very different, and rewarding, ways that you know you're a *Pediatric* Nurse.
You know you're a Pediatric Nurse when you obsess about your patient's urine and stool. Yes, as Peds nurses, we count urine output in increments of 0.5ccs at times, and we pray for poop! I don't know any profession who is more obsessive about stools, their color, amount, consistency, etc... than Pediatric Nursing.
You know you're a Pediatric Nurse when you don't take blood pressures on your patients, but instead you "measure their muscles" with "hugging machines." Don't get me wrong, there are still times where it can take multiple attempts or sneaking a BP cuff onto a sleeping child to get an acceptable reading, but often the "let's see how big your muscles are today" ploy proves to be helpful.
You know you're a Pediatric Nurse when you look forward to giving stickers and prizes as much, if not more, than your patients look forward to getting them. I've been known to empty out not only pens, alcohol wipes, saline flushes, etc... out of my pockets at the end of my shifts, but also Dora, Diego, Spider Man, and Princess stickers and tattoos!
You know you're a Pediatric Nurse when, seeing a giant fire-truck looking machine coming down the hallway means its time for your patient's morning chest x-ray. Yes, our portable x-ray machine is a giant fire truck known for taking amazing pictures of precious smiles... oh yeah, and lung fields, tummies, etc...
You know you're a Pediatric Nurse you can easily go through an entire roll of tape in your 2 year old patient's room in one shift only as an attempt to keep O2 sat probes, Oxygen tubing, EKG patches, etc... on your patient! Again, this is usually only an attempt at success, because those toddler age patient's often win many battles!
You know you're a Pediatric Nurse when you go into the Procedure Room with an army of 5 of more people to start an IV on a patient who weighs a measly 8kg! The procedure room often looks like a party prior to the IV start, with child life specialists, nurses, parents, toys, etc... and not uncommonly looks like a massacre after an IV start.
You know you're a Pediatric nurse when you listen for "bears and drums" instead of abdominal and heart sounds, often only after, as a Peds RN, letting your patient first listen for those same bears and drums in your heart and chest.
Most importantly, you know you're a Pediatric Nurse when you believe in magic and miracles. Children are so resilient and forgiving, their innocence and strength is enough to bring a smile to almost anyone's face, their hugs make your heart feel as though it's melting, and their desire to "get better and go home" is something to be learned by all of us. My passion for nursing is in Pediatrics, and I don't see that changing anytime soon!
