Pediatric Hospital vs. Regular Hospital Peds Floor

[xstarsfallingx]

I am a new grad working at a children's hospital on a fairly acute floor where we often give triple abx, have home vent/bipap patients, etc. I am considering travel nursing this Fall (after a year) and have been curious as to how that transition would be if I were to go to a regular hospital that just has a pediatric floor.

I know the acuity will most likely be lower, but to what extent? Could anyone working a pediatric floor give me some examples of your typical patient demographic? Your most complex cases? Patient to nurse ratio?

Thanks so much in advance. :)

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

I am a new grad working at a children's hospital on a fairly acute floor where we often give triple abx, have home vent/bipap patients, etc. I am considering travel nursing this Fall (after a year) and have been curious as to how that transition would be if I were to go to a regular hospital that just has a pediatric floor.

I know the acuity will most likely be lower, but to what extent? Could anyone working a pediatric floor give me some examples of your typical patient demographic? Your most complex cases? Patient to nurse ratio?

Thanks so much in advance. :)

You do vents on the floor? Is this a step-down ICU?

[MJB2010]

The peds floor I did my rotation on was at a Community hosptial. The floor is half peds, half geri which was an interesting mix. The peds cases were primarily respiratory problems, tonsil removals, and NAS babies. We really didnt see anything else at all, anything else was sent to a local children's hosptial. It is an urban area with several hospitals in the area.

BTW the floor had both geri nurses & peds nurses, so nurses did not care for both populations. BUt they do often help each other out if they get super busy or short staffed.

[xstarsfallingx]

We are not considered a step-down ICU, but generally all the floors at our hospital are of step-down unit acuity. We are a large pediatric hospital, so we get the sickest of the sick.

We do not get intubated vent patients, only those with trachs on home vent circuits.