Is there a field specifically for the pediatric disabled population?

[nevergiveup2016]

I don't really care to but I would rather not work with children who have cognitive disabilities. Moreso the population with physical disabilites. I already work in a childrens hospital and they are my favorite to take care of. I don't feel as we see them as much which is great. However, my heart says that's who I want to help. Do they havr facilities or are they mostly home care?

[Nurse Leigh]

Thank you so much! This is what I wanted to hear! I felt like such a terrible person when I said everything except children with cognitive disorders such as autism. I'm not generally the best with kids. I get kids I'm fantastic with and I love them. However it's because the kids didn't make me feel awkward or they did that one thing that made me feel like a great CNA!!! I've tucked kids in, I've sat with kids while they sit and try so hard to vomit, I've sat and held babies where the parents aren't around, and I've caught vomit in the worst situations. And I am either told by the parent or child how great I am! But I have never got a good response out of autistic children. Sad part is my cousin has Down's and I'm still not used to it but we're related and it's not awkward. It's different for us! I will definitely try and sneak in around the times our great nurses make visits! I want to be better with the kiddos! It's where my heart is but confidence is trailing a bit...

Do you have Child Life Specialists at your facility? Bet they'd have oodles of tips for you. Heavens no, being timid around certain populations doesn't make you evil - you know your weaknesses and now you can work on them.

[quazar]

One way people can connect to my son is through his interests. Autistic kids generally have singular/focused interests on things like trains, cars, toasters, vacuum cleaners, particular t.v. shows, certain animals, etc.. If you find out what the child's "thing" is, you can try using that to connect.

Also, please keep in mind that all nurses have some area of weakness where they feel like failures. Some patient populations are just hard for them to deal with. Like me and geriatrics. I am NOT a good geriatrics nurse, at all. I can do fine with them outside of the hospital, but I am absolutely horrendous as a bedside geriatric nurse. They scare and worry me and I find them perplexing and frustrating. Many nurses who find out I do L&D nursing think that my specialty is a nightmare and cannot stand working with obstetric patients. We all have our niches, we all have our weaknesses, and that's totally okay.

[nevergiveup2016]

We actually do! They are such lifesavers!! Only thing is they work days and I work nights but I know the manager. I bet I could contact her and ask to have a meeting of some kind on how to communicate better. It really warmed my heart thinking of my cousin and how he is almost 15 years older than me. But growing up I always thought we were the same age regardless of his size :)

[nursemcsleepy, BSN, RN]

I work in a large children's hospital, and we do have a physical rehab floor - but a lot of the kiddos there also have cognitive disabilities due to the nature of their injury or disease. It's also an extremely small floor, because inpatient rehab isn't a long term goal, and they're trying to transition each kid to outpatient care. There are great outpatient rehab facilities, or you can even look into being a school nurse at a school for children with special needs.

I understand and that cognitive disabilities can make someone uncomfortable at first, but I think once you get to know that particular kid you'll be able to see past it and understand what makes them tick. The heart of pediatrics is finding ways to care for each child in a developmentally appropriate way. Talk to their parents, who know them best, and ask your CCLS for help to meet their needs. It's definitely worth getting over your fears!