Pediatric Care Maps

Published

Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

I need a template for an "imaginative" pediatric Care Map. I'm an old fart who lacks imagination, and can't seem to come up with a nice, artsy, kid-like care map format. I've seen some students using hearts and clouds and such, but...what do you have or recommend?

Being "not boring" is worth about 15% of the grade, which is annoying to me.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

PS: Need 3 NDx, with 3-5 interventions each for the care plan. If yours is set up for more or less than that, I can always make adjustments.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

what is your topic on? Depending, you may be able to find related cut outs either on-line or at a teacher supply store (ie for handwashing have little hands, diet have apples, etc). You could use bright eye catching colors, or even creative fonts. Again, depending on the topic, you can probably find some interesting pictures on-line. You could always decorate it with stickers, kids love stickers.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

OK, please enlighten me. I graduated prior to the age of care maps, which as I understand it, are something of a "pre-cursor" to a care plan.

If I am correct, I assume that this is a "tool" that you will use to develop a comprehensive care plan for your pediatric patient.

Why in the world does it have to be cute and kid friendly? Isn't this a document meant to be shared by healthcare practitioners, not a piece of artwork to hang on the pediatric floor? Shouldn't you be evaluated based upon your understanding and demonstration of the concepts involved in care planning, the disease process, the child's developmental stage and the family's needs, NOT your artistic ability?

Assignments like this make me nuts!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.
what is your topic on? Depending, you may be able to find related cut outs either on-line or at a teacher supply store (ie for handwashing have little hands, diet have apples, etc). You could use bright eye catching colors, or even creative fonts. Again, depending on the topic, you can probably find some interesting pictures on-line. You could always decorate it with stickers, kids love stickers.

We just have to incorporate the care plan we came up with from one of our clinical patients, and place all the information into a care map.

Attached is the information (in non-cute format) that we have to include.

Thanks :)

Care map form Spring 07-2.doc

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.
OK, please enlighten me. I graduated prior to the age of care maps, which as I understand it, are something of a "pre-cursor" to a care plan.

If I am correct, I assume that this is a "tool" that you will use to develop a comprehensive care plan for your pediatric patient.

Why in the world does it have to be cute and kid friendly? Isn't this a document meant to be shared by healthcare practitioners, not a piece of artwork to hang on the pediatric floor? Shouldn't you be evaluated based upon your understanding and demonstration of the concepts involved in care planning, the disease process, the child's developmental stage and the family's needs, NOT your artistic ability?

Assignments like this make me nuts!

They make me nuts as well. It always feels like "make-busy" work. And why it has to be all cutesy instead of logical and coherent is beyond me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

there are a couple of care map templates on this sticky thread in the nursing student assistance forum:

if they are turning the boxes into heart and cloud shapes, etc. they are probably using the drawing toolbar on the word program and then typing text inside it. i believe there are heart and cloud shapes on the toolbar.

something else might be to use fonts that look childlike such as comic sans (i'm sure there might be another that looks like child's printing) and/or use colors and printing that make it look like it's been written in crayon. another idea might be to print the care map on yellow paper with lines (that old goldenrod paper with lines that we had to learn how to write our letters of the alphabet on). or, print the care plan on paper that has a drawing done in crayon by a kid on it. kids also like storybooks, so if your care map runs a couple of pages, you can bind it together like a little storybook for a kid. you can use clip art as well to bind the boxes of the care map (maybe a cowboy theme with some clip art figures and dashed lines from the drawing toolbar connecting the boxes). use http://clipartconnection.com/en/clipart for free clip art. just some ideas.

are you hurting for nursing diagnoses and interventions? see

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

Thanks for your help, ma'am.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

I'm moving this thread to the Pediatric Forum for more attention.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

I've been surfing the Net this morning and found this page. I'm not so much interested in what's printed on it (it's a feeding guide for kids age 2-12) as I was at the design it was printed on. If the table and printing is removed, there is a nice child drawing there that could be printed out so your care map could be printed out on it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

Nice! That'll look great. Thanks, ma'am.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion