pediatric nursing clinicals

AuntieRN · Jun 28, 2006

I am in my peds rotation now. I am sure they are all different but mine aren't that hard...and my instructor is awesome!! The only tip I can really give you is know your meds well. Know which ones need to be diluted and how long to push them or how long to run them via pump. Otherwise...they are just littler people is all I can tell so far. Good luck!!

ukstudent · Jul 3, 2006

Sorry to disagree with the above post, but kids are not just little people. They can and do react very differently than adults to the same diseases. A 2 year old with a 104. F fever is not the same as an adult with the same level fever. Children compensate and crash faster and harder than adults. Look up and know the vital sign norms for the different age groups. What are the normal ranges for pulse, respiration and b/p for infants, toddlers, school age, teenagers etc? If you have children or have friends with children see if you can practice getting vitals. I can't count the number of times that nursing students have given me partial vitals because they either can't get a heart rate or respiratory rate. Good luck and remeber the children are more scared than you, so show confidence.

BeccaznRN, RN · Jul 8, 2006

My peds clinical was a BREEZE. We were not allowed to pass meds and much of our clinical time was spent on assessment and teaching. However, I learned quite a bit because the instructor was all about patho so we had to know our patients' conditions inside and out - and we were routinely quizzed on it. To be successful in your own peds clinical, I would highly recommend being familiar with your patients - what is going on, what meds are prescribed and why, nursing responsibilities/considerations, etc.

abbythetabby · Jul 8, 2006

Oh, I was dreading my peds clinical. But I ended up loving it. We passed meds w/the instructor and did total patient care. I didn't find it any more difficult than our other clinical rotations. It's amazing how well educated some of the kids are about their condition and meds.

TexasPediRN · Jul 8, 2006

Sorry to disagree with the above post, but kids are not just little people. They can and do react very differently than adults to the same diseases. A 2 year old with a 104. F fever is not the same as an adult with the same level fever. Children compensate and crash faster and harder than adults. Look up and know the vital sign norms for the different age groups. What are the normal ranges for pulse, respiration and b/p for infants, toddlers, school age, teenagers etc? If you have children or have friends with children see if you can practice getting vitals. I can't count the number of times that nursing students have given me partial vitals because they either can't get a heart rate or respiratory rate. Good luck and remeber the children are more scared than you, so show confidence.

I agree 100%.

UKStudent is corrent: Peds patients crash quickly - I dont know what type of peds setting you will be doing your clinicals in, but its something to watch out for.

Infants also can come dehydrated in a matter of hours, not true with an adult.

As for vitals: practice still doesnt make perfect with peds! They squirm, wiggle, roll, and do anything else to get away from your taking vitals. The younger children will cry when you take their vitals - hard to assess lung sounds this way.

I approach peds patients in a completely different manner then adult patients - you need to get down to their level when talking to toddlers/preschoolers as to not scare them, you need to let them listen to you with a stethoscope while you are listening to them, watch out for self esteem and sexuality issues with a teenager, etc. Its def. different then adult nursing, and I LOVE IT! Cant stand working with adult patients, I have no patience for them, but for peds, I have all the patience in the world :)

good luck with your peds clinical. I recommend taking a look through the pediatric thread - its filled with some good tips on how to approach children, how to not scare them, etc.

-Meghan