Is Peds really for me?

I think it is fine to have a preferred age group, as long as you can give competent care to all the age groups that you are responsible for. I prefer the same age group myself, which is why I am a school nurse. However, since I am the only medical personnel on campus I also have to care for adults (faculty, parents, visitors), as well as occasionally an infant or toddler younger sibling. I have even had a pregnant mom slip and fall! Not my favorite things to deal with and no, I do not feel 100% comfortable with them, but you get more comfortable the more exposure you have to caring for a certain age group. I say go for it!

I know exactly what you mean. I love peds, but the thought of working with babies all the time, doesn't excite me one bit. I found a compromise. I work on my pediatric hospital's adolsecent unit. I take care of kids 12-21. I will se the occasional toddler or baby as an overflow pt, but, as a rule, I see mainly teenagers. This is just perfect with me, as I'm much more comfortable with the teenagers.

I always ask myself the same question. I am a third year nursing student (male). I was placed in an pediatric clinic and I llllooooovvveeed it, all the nurses were awesome. But the only question is, Are there lots of male pediatric nurses?.

Honestly, there probably are not as many male peds nurses. However, I think if you are passionate about this field, you would be an asset to it! Some of the male patients might open up to another guy sooner than a female nurse. I think you would find that you have a lot to bring to the table as a male peds nurse!

see, i'm the opposite. i love the newborn to 12ish age group but the teens are kinda, well, i don't know so much how to deal with them. i'm considering PICU & NICU

I always ask myself the same question. I am a third year nursing student (male). I was placed in an pediatric clinic and I llllooooovvveeed it, all the nurses were awesome. But the only question is, Are there lots of male pediatric nurses?.

Men in nursing, especially peds, are such an assest. The male patients love the male staff members, you can tell some of the boys really look up to them. Also, I like having a couple guys working on the floor as sometimes the teenagers can get a little out of hand, and it is sometimes easier for them to listen to a man.

I was looking at some of the polls, on this website and found a large number of male nurses in peds. I was surprised. LOL.

one of the children's hospitals here has several male RNs. they are fantastic! the charge nurses on the unit i spent my peds clinical are both guys and amazing nurses, i learned so much from them. the kids love them, and i enjoy having both genders in the workplace, large numbers of women can be so mean when we get together!

I always ask myself the same question. I am a third year nursing student (male). I was placed in an pediatric clinic and I llllooooovvveeed it, all the nurses were awesome. But the only question is, Are there lots of male pediatric nurses?.

I have a male nurse friend who graduated last year and he got a job at a large Children's hospital right after graduation. I saw plenty of male nurses when I rotated there, too.

I am a 4th semester male nursing student and am looking strongly at doing peds. I loved my clinical rotation last semester and have heard that males are needed and that in general they are always looking for people in pediatric care. Trust your heart. If you second guess your gut you always get in trouble. Do what you love!

I work in a Pediatric ER, and a lot of babies come through. The thing about the ER is you stabilize and either send them home, or move them to the floor, so you don't spend a lot of time with the kids. In reality, you are mostly dealing with the parents, and the parents of babies are sometimes a little more demanding. Also, their are A LOT of male nurses in my unit. Not so much on the floors, but in the ER, I would guess a third of the nurses are male.

Male peds nurses are great!! I only wish we had more. I agree with a previous poster that they are a tremendous asset to a floor and I know alot of people I work with feel the same way, because we talk about it!

Regarding a preferred age group, I agree that you need to be able to give competent care to all age groups, especially in an ER. If you prefer a certain age group, you can always work in an area that tends to have more of that age. Myself, I'm not a big fan of the sick toddler, but I love all the other ages and of course give good care to toddlers. I think most people probably have an age they prefer. You can find out the typical age breakdown in your area when you interview. Also the longer you work in peds, the more comfortable you will be with that younger age group.