Pediatric Nursing Question!!!!

Hi Nurses!!

I am a student working as a nurses aid at a pediatric hospital. I am in LOVE with my job. My patients and my coworkers are phenomenal! Whenever I discuss my job with non-medical friends and family, EVERYONES response is just "Isn't it so hard/sad to work with sick kids?"

I was wondering if anyone could help me come up with a response for these questions. Kids are so resilient and, yes, some aspects of my job are sad, but more often than not, our floor is a very happy place and I don't know how to portray that to people.

Thank you so much for your help!

People believe what they believe, many times because they haven't had the experiences you have.... Just be happy with your job, and people will remember that- if it matters what they think.....

I have only done peds for my entire 13 year career.... when people ask me dumbfounded how I can work with sick kids? I smile and tell them, " I have NO patience with grown ups!" Give me a sick kid ANYDAY!!! It is not sad most of the time.... kids handle illness MUCH better than adults! Good Luck!

I have always said that children are very resilient and most of them get well! When it's sad it's very sad and that's when I pray for peace. I work with the little one's because a bandaid actually makes them feel better, a Kiss can heal their boo boo's and make everything better, you can rock them to sleep and give them hugs. They tell the truth no matter what and a sticker is magical.............Besides their poop is smaller....LOL

It gets chuckles but they seem to understand....Good Luck!

I worked with kids on and off in many jobs (before pedi floors or childrens' hospitals were all over)- they'd be assigned to the body system floor they needed to be on...then worked a pedi floor (and floated to NICU a few times- blechhh) .... The kids were good to work with- the poor families- not so much (sometimes they were wonderful- but all were understandably upset and stressed).

Working nights helped- the kids still needed care, and some families went home if they felt Jr/Jr-etta was stable enough. I did like getting to know the frequent flier families/kids. We didn't do onc/hem where I was, and I don't think I could do that. We did get several post-transplant kids, and some who REALLY needed transplants (glow in the dark jaundice:eek:- it was so sad). My co-workers were the worst part (there were some really nice ones, but a few duds - IMHO- killed it). Like some kooky sorority house- time to grow up- lol

It's good there are enough of us to go around to all specialties !!

You are so lucky! It's my dream to be a nurse in some capacity to children....I imagine it to be heartbreaking but also extremely rewarding. :)

I get this question all the time....it's usually "omg, being around kids with cancer would break my heart! How do you do it???" My answer is usually.....because it needs to be done. People don't realize how far treatments have come - a LOT of our kids survive and have wonderful lives. For the ones that we know aren't going to make it....we try to make life as comfortable and filled with joy as possible. I've been on this floor for a couple years but my heart still breaks a little any time I hear one of our littles has become a DNR.

It's stressful, but fortunately I have a great core of coworkers that can lift me up if it gets to be too much. I never would've dreamed I'd want to become a pedi oncology nurse but I can't imagine myself anywhere else :) I DO think it would be easier on a med-surg/short stay floor because the kids aren't as sick but I don't think I'd find it as rewarding.

We'll see how I feel about it after I've spent a few months as an RN lol

Hi Nurses!!

I am a student working as a nurses aid at a pediatric hospital. I am in LOVE with my job. My patients and my coworkers are phenomenal! Whenever I discuss my job with non-medical friends and family, EVERYONES response is just "Isn't it so hard/sad to work with sick kids?"

I was wondering if anyone could help me come up with a response for these questions. Kids are so resilient and, yes, some aspects of my job are sad, but more often than not, our floor is a very happy place and I don't know how to portray that to people.

Thank you so much for your help!

I just say "no, it's great" and smile. Sometimes, if the person is annoying me (like they seem to be fishing for lurid details), I might deadpan "no, nothing bad ever happens to children."

If it's someone who genuinely wants to know and who I want to have a conversation with, I'll say that the sad stuff is sad but mostly there's a lot of joy and that there's something really rewarding about helping a child understand a procedure, get through something, or have a laugh at one of my super corny jokes (once I was fumbling with a pulse ox and told my patient that I had butterfingers that day and she cracked up so hard I was sure she was hypoxic!). That even though they are sick, kids are still kids and like to do kid things, like eat mac and cheese with me at the nurses station on a slow night when their parent had to step out to take care of the siblings. That you take away the pain and they are ok again.

because a quiet, scared two year old, post open heart surgery, will absolutely LIGHT UP when you tell her you have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner any adult who had just gone through the same procedure, still in ICU would be moaning and groaning about this, that and the other thing, along with the "bad food"

Hi Nurses!!

I am a student working as a nurses aid at a pediatric hospital. I am in LOVE with my job. My patients and my coworkers are phenomenal! Whenever I discuss my job with non-medical friends and family, EVERYONES response is just "Isn't it so hard/sad to work with sick kids?"

I was wondering if anyone could help me come up with a response for these questions. Kids are so resilient and, yes, some aspects of my job are sad, but more often than not, our floor is a very happy place and I don't know how to portray that to people.

Thank you so much for your help!

I'm currently thinking about becoming an RN in pediatrics but I am figuratively on the "first step" in pursuing this dream. I hope you can help me ..

How did you land your CNA job at a pediatrics hospital? Have you ever worked for an LTC/home health facility with mentally ill patients? I want to get my CNA also but would rather gain experience in a children's/pediatric hospital. I worked as a home health aide to mentally ill patients in the past for a few months and couldn't bare it for too long. I've been teaching ESL abroad for several years now and enjoy spending time with primary/secondary school children.

Any input would be nice! It's great to see the level of satisfaction you have with your job!

It can be sad for some....But it can be very rewarding to provide comfort and knowledge to the patients and their families.....and especially if you know the patient for awhile, I think it is exciting to watch them progress!

It is more emotionally devastating to the families of children with profound illness/injuries which can be difficult. I sort of think that the skills it takes to deal with those issues with an adult, is just about the same for a child.

Lots of times the children themselves dont suffer emotionally like an adult would...and for me I find comfort in that. A younger child won't comprehend what a profound illness means to them and have that sense of loss and depression that an adult pt with a life and a job and friends/family would experience.