Changing from adult to ped nursing??

DDRN4me · Jan 24, 2009

sounds like you have already given this a good deal of thought.

You are absolutely right that kids are not just little adults ' pedi is definitely a specialty.

that said; you do have a great med-surg background to fall back on so thats great.

I say go for it; especially since you went into nursing to do pedi.

you dont have to work in a nicu or a picu; try a Childrens Hospital near you and see what openings they have; and what appeals to you most! good luck! mary

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 24, 2009

I think you have identified the key issues. They are very real. I have seen many nurses in your situation give peds a try and decide in a few months that it is not for them. They feel as if the rug has been pulled out from under them as they go from being a competent nurse for adults to being a beginner again. You will feel very insecure and may feel unsafe. Some people become afraid that they will hurt a little kid and leave at that point. Other people "suck it up" and stick it out and eventually beome competent pediatric nurses.

I've been involved in analyzing retention statistics for a children's hospital and have talked to people in other children's hospitals and most of us tell the same story -- the story I just related above. If you are "strong enough" to work through those feelings of insecurity and feeling unsafe for a while -- then go for it. People succeed at making that transition all the time. However, if you are not willing or able to be uncomfortable in your practice for several months, then you will probably be one of the people who leaves peds within the first year.

None of us here knows which type of person you are. How do you usually handle that type of stress in your job? How tough are you?

I would also suggest you choose a specialty suits your personality. For example, if you really don't think you can handle taking care of children who are terminally ill, avoid the PICU and the Hem/Onc unit, etc. Do you think you would be better suited to work with small childen or older children? etc. Not all peds units are alike. From the outside, it can look like "peds is peds" period. But in reality, the patients you have and the problems peds nurses deal with vary from unit to unit. Investigate well and choose a type of unit that will suit your personalilty.

Good luck to you.

ACRN06 · Jan 28, 2009

Thanks so much for the advice! It really did help! I think I am in fact gonna give it a go! I know I'll always wonder if I don't...

:redpinkhe AC

SoundofMusic · Mar 29, 2009

I'm sort of in the same boat. Really liked my pediatric rotation, but just ended up in that stream that flowed to adult nursing. Now I'm craving a change, and am also interested in a future either in lactation related work, or school nursing, or even beign able to work in a private pediatric office. So many want pediatric experience that it just seems like a good area to go into.

Anyway, any advice is appreciated. I think doing peds med/surg is just a great overall med surg experience as well, from what I can see.

Then again, something else is also pulling me to cardiac and ICU. I just can't decide. :)

LianaRN · Apr 1, 2009

Hello, I am new to allnurses.com.. I have been doing nursing for a little over a year... i work on an adult surgical floor.... i promised myself that I WOULD NOT work on a med/surg floor, but that's where I ended up... anyway, I am trying to get into a peds hem/onc unit... the reason i want to work there is because my nephew got diagnosed with AML in 2007 and i was a bone marrow donor to another boy... unfortunately, the boy ended up passing away before we got to do the transplant... my nephew is doing well... he received a transplant...

i just feel like peds he/onc is where i NEED to be... i want to help those innocent children and their families... it would be sooooooooo rewarding to work in that field... i understand that there are good days and bad days in hem/onc... not all patients survive...

i want to know if I'm making the right decision... do you guys think that because of my past experience it would be extremely difficult? I have thought about it over and over again... i just feel like it's my calling... any advice would be greatly appreciated... thank you!!!!!!!!

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Apr 1, 2009

:wlcmggrp: to our little group!

(And thanks for your generosity in agreeing to be a bone marrow donor for someone you didn't know, even if the transplant didnt happen!)

As someone who has followed her heart for similar reasons, I can tell you that it might be the hardest thing you ever do, but it might also be the most rewarding. It sounds like you've done a lot of thinking and self-examination, so you're probably already aware of the pitfalls that could await. If you know yourself well enough to know how you'll react when the situation hits a little close to home, and you're sure you'll have the psychological fortitude to push it away while you need to focus (not forever, though... just until later) then you'll find you have a lot to offer.

One issue that may come into play is if the peds hem-onc unit you're wanting to work on is the one that your nephew received his treatment on. What would you do if your nephew relapsed and was readmitted to your unit? (Playing devil's advocate here.) Would you be able to stay at arms-length when all you really want is to jump right in and do the job yourself? Because you KNOW they won't be able to assign his care to you, and you'll have to perform your job for your assigned patients as if he wasn't there. Trust me, the question WILL come up in the interview if indeed this is the same unit and your family has a history there. So have your answer ready and make it believable!

Many of the skills you've learned on adult med-surg will help you on a peds hem-onc unit. I say go for it!

LianaRN · Apr 1, 2009

WoW! Thank you so much for your reply... it really helped! It will be in the same unit as where my nephew was at... i have thought long and hard about this... i chose this specific hospital because of the EXCELLENT care they give to there patients (from docs, nurses, care partners, child life, etc)... i would honestly be honored to work there... my family has a close relationship with the staff there... i have thought about that too... i know that my personal life has to stay outside of the hospital and that my care should be focused on whoever i will be helping that day... it will be very difficult but I'm glad that you think that I should GO FOR IT!!! I just needed that extra push :) thank you!

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Apr 2, 2009

When you get there let me know how it's going.

pedsnursemich · Apr 30, 2009

I am an LPN who started as a GPN on a pediatric unit of very sick children. Some were on ventilators. Everyone said how do you do it? Well my response was, they need all the love and great care they can get. Just to see one of my patients look through his new set of eyeglasses and see the world for the first time, or put on his hearing aide and actually hear me, what a reward! It can be just as rewarding as adult nursing. Yes, it can be heartbreaking too. But just think of what a difference you can make in a childs life. If you feel like you are starting at the bottom, your not. You can apply everything you learned to them also. I got very little pediatric traing in nursing school. But once it fell in to place it was wonderful. Stay strong!

Bethie83 · Nov 6, 2009

Hello all you pediatric pro's! :) I beg of you your advice!
I'm a nurse of 3 years... 2 in adult Tele, 1 in adult ER...
Back in the day I went into nursing thinking I was gonna be a peds nurse. Thats actually WHY I chose nursing to begin with.
When it came time to graduate and apply for jobs, we had been taught so much more about adults in nursing school that ped nursing kinda scared me but I still put in an application to a Childrens Hospital along with a couple adult ones... the childrens one never called, I got an immediate call from the adult hospital and thus I started my adult nursing career.
I ended up really liking adult nursing, loving it really! I don't regret going into it one bit! I've grown so much as a person and learned so much from it. Its something I could be happy doing for the rest of my career... but then...
I read an article written by a peds nurse today and my heart just went back to that old longing of wanting to help these beautiful precious children! I grew up with 8 siblings (yup! count em! 8!) So dealing with kids comes so naturally to me...and my heart goes out to them so much! I'd love nothing more than to be able to help them during a trying time. Family too, educating parents on how to take care of these little ones and helping them through the process as well.
I'm so torn!
My question is...
Do you think I should give pediatrics a go?
My biggest fears are:
1. Starting at the bottom of the totem pole all over again. Not knowing jack! Well... I'll know a bit, but pediatrics is a whole other ball game from adults! I'd have soooooooo much to learn! Its always hard leaving a comfort zone.
2. That perhaps I love kids TOO much to be able to handle seeing them go through sometimes devastating times. Is that possible? Hm... I dunno.. I think I could handle it, its not that I DON'T care about adults, but its just not quite as hard to deal with as opposed to a child's life being ended/changed so early.
Ugh.. I don't know... thats why I ask you all!
Thanks for any input you can give!
AC

You work in ER at the moment? We get alot of kids in our ER, do you see much of them there? If you really are thinking of changing jobs, have you thought about joining a Children's Hospital PRN that way you could stay at your current job and also find out if going there full time is what you really want to do. Or even call your Children's Hospital and see if it is possible to just come and job shadow a fellow nurse on the floor of choice. Good luck!