Pediatric LPNs

NurseKateC · Dec 11, 2014

HazelLPN I see you have had a lot of experience in MICU/PICU/NICU. What did you find challenging and most rewarding about each specialty?

Dani4310 · Dec 11, 2014

I've worked with Peds ever since I passed my Boards, and its crazy how much you can change not only a families life, but the child's. Right now i am working for a pediatric outpatient clinic that is totally nonprofit and amazing! We are treating kiddos with neuromuscular disorders and giving them all the therapies we think they need, no matter what insurance will pay. Its great working for a facility that will do anything to help the kiddos that they need!

Try different specialties and im sure you will find your nitch! :)

Goodluck! :nurse:

NurseKateC · Dec 13, 2014

Dani4310 I think working with neuromuscular disorders would be really interesting! Any recommended resoyrces for learning more about these kinds of diorders?

HazelLPN, LPN · Dec 14, 2014

HazelLPN I see you have had a lot of experience in MICU/PICU/NICU. What did you find challenging and most rewarding about each specialty?

My goodness. So many memories.

What I liked about critical care nursing in general is that I knew I was doing something good with my life and helping people in their families in difficult times. I have always loved learning and you learn something new everyday in critical care. At the same time, it can be heartbreaking. Each place I worked had positives and negatives. Adult ICU was the most comfortable for me as I worked there the longest, but I was also burnt out mentally and physically after nearly 30 years of doing it. PICU was my favorite place that I worked. Very rewarding, very challenging, learned something new every day and it keeps you on your toes. I loved the variety of diagnosis and ages. You really had to know a bit about everything. NICU was the most specialized. I enjoyed it as a change of pace, but I was never comfortable beyond the routine NICU patients...two stable vents was my ideal assignment followed by three feeder growers. The complex chronics and tiny micropremies were beyond my level of comfort. These kiddos needed a REAL NICU nurse, not an adventurous PICU nurse who floated over on a regular basis.

If God gave me back my body of twenty years ago, I'd go back and get reoriented in the PICU and start taking shifts again. That's how much I loved it.

Best to you,

Mrs H.