New To Pediatrics

OldDude · May 1, 2018

What area of nursing are you coming from and what area of pediatrics are you going to?

NurseC1986 · May 1, 2018

I used to work in a long-term "ALF" which was more of a SNF. I mainly worked with residents who suffered from dementia. I am now going to be working in a doctors office as a pediatric nurse. I was told that we might see anyone 0-18 & possibly a little older in children with certain behavioral & developmental issues. I am brand new to this so anything anyone wants to share I will greatly appreciate. I mainly want to know what you do or say to make it easier for the child when it comes to receiving an immunization & what to do when parents misinform their children or threaten them with another shot or something else unpleasant. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

OldDude · May 1, 2018

I've never had much luck with influencing parenting "styles" other than make them mad when I tell them not to refer to medicine as "candy" to convince the kid to take it. Or, as you say, using the threat of a shot as leverage. I'm straight up honest with all age groups. Shots hurt until they stop hurting which usually isn't very long. You tell them it's ok to cry but their main job is to be still, and then I hold them securely to make sure. Sometimes you need help to do that. Medicine is medicine, end of story. Learn your techniques to show parents how to give oral medications to the most resistant child and you'll win them over every time. Don't hesitate to ask questions here. Good luck and congratulations!! FYI, the parents will be your biggest challenge!

NurseC1986 · May 1, 2018

Thank you so much. I am so happy to be a part of this group. When I was going to school for my license this was the one thing I wanted more than ever. I did very well as a charge nurse. I'm sure there will be days I miss it. I even thought of getting a part-time job in a SNF. But whatever I do & wherever I go I want to make sure I give my all. Thank you for your information, I feel as though I gave some information that will help me.

JadedCPN, BSN, RN · May 1, 2018

FYI, the parents will be your biggest challenge!

Ahhh truer words have never been spoken! I've always joked that pediatric nursing should have its own version of Casual Friday called Parent-Free-Monday. I kid, I kid....kind of.

Show respect and talk to each kid based on their developmental level. Teenagers will take offense to you if you talk to them like you would the 8 year old you just took care of.

NurseC1986 · May 1, 2018

I completely understand that. I can't really blame the parents because I think if I were a parent I would feel the same way but I am always respectful. I used to work in long term so I dealt with the opposite where the children would not want anything to be done with their parent, but wanted us to do everything to keep them alive so it was really difficult at times. I am reading up on pediatrics now, so maybe I will ask about school & sports in the older teenagers? I have a questions regarding holidays...would I assume that everyone celebrates Christmas & Easter & Halloween & all of those or would I ask the parent first? I'm sure that sounds like a very silly question but it is one I have never had to think of until now. Thank you for responding to me. I really appreciate it.

NurseC1986 · May 4, 2018

Does anyone work in an office where they use paper charts in addition to EMRs? I was told today that the office I work in does & there is a high incidence of medical errors by immunizations due to unclear documentation. This concerns me because I do not want to worry about my license with something that could very easily be prevented. There are different sites from which we can see when the children were vaccinated, but not all of them are up to date. If anyone has any advice please let me know. Thank you in advance.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · May 15, 2018

FYI, the parents will be your biggest challenge!

This is a fact and truer than ever in my current role, where I work exclusively with children who were in state custody at some point on their lives. I have biological parents, foster parents and, in some cases, adoptive parents of children on my caseload. Their biological parents often have substance abuse issues or other problems themselves that led them to be unable to care for their children. Last month, I once had a week where one day an adoptive mom (who is lovely and knowingly adopted a 5 year old with a host of medical issues) apologize to me for canceling our appointment when the reason was because a hospital had called her and said "you better get down here, we're transferring Granny to the ICU and we don't think she's going to make it" and then the next day, I got screamed at by a biological mom because I woke her up for our scheduled appointment in the middle of the day. Parents can be your best ally in pediatrics but also your greatest enemy.

NurseC1986 · May 15, 2018

Thank you for your comment. I am not longer in pediatrics. The sad thing is I only worked there for one day. The facility was owned by four doctors & they had zero respect for nurses. The staff was awful too. The doctors didn't want to have to do anything & instead the nurses such as myself we're getting bogged down & getting rushed through patient care. It was truly awful. We had two parents that smelled up the office of marijuana & the doctors made jokes about how they were getting a contact high & in need of Cheetos. Instead of them addressing the severity of the situation(the parent's borough in children with severe asthma exacerbation) the doctors said they were not going to deal with it. I agree that the parents can be great or your worst nightmare. I definitely did see that the one day I worked in the office. We saw over 250 patients. I think my next role will be with geriatrics. I loved working with the children, I just guess a doctors office is not for me, at least that one.