peds nurses, what do you struggle with?

Number one: Parents

Number two is so far down the list as to not matter.

Depends on the day, honestly. Sometimes the overbearing parents are the struggle. Sometimes it's the fussy baby who just wants to be held and doesn't have parents present to comfort him, but you don't have the time to give him the attention he needs. Some days it's trying to manage pain in a post operative toddler who can't tell you where or how much he hurts. Some days it's dealing with the angry, frustrated teenager who is rude and refuses to comply with treatments. It could be the sickness you feel in the pit of your stomach looking at a previously perfect infant who now has permanent neurological disability due to child abuse- and the parents still have custody. Or maybe it's the helplessness you feel when caring for a sick oncology patient who's nausea and vomiting persists no matter what meds or interventions you try. Although nothing is ever comparable to when a child dies, even that experience differs based on the circumstances (unexpected vs chronic illness, code vs withdrawal of care, etc.) The thing about peds is that one day is never the same as another, nor is it ever predicable. There's a lot of bright spots, and a lot of dark ones too. You learn to take things as they come.

Number one: Parents

Number two is so far down the list as to not matter.

While I will agree with this - some - I will say that I dont think parents are any harder to deal with than when Grandma is in the ICU and how her family can be so demanding. I bet some adult ICU nurses will say the family is one of the hardest things about it.

For me, its having to be in the room with parents that are so neglectful or abusive and having to pretend its just another day for me. This can happen for a variety of reasons, but mostly because either there isnt enough proof or the police haven't actually made an arrest yet. That can be some hard stuff to deal with.

Otherwise, I feel like dealing with death is hard, but mostly because the parents will break your heart.

I'm new to peds nursing but I would also have to say the parents can be the hardest part. For me it's not the parents who are overbearing but the ones who simply don't care about the wellbeing of their child. Sad when kids are abused and neglected but still have custody of a child that is so clearly suffering. It can be hard to remain professional and unbiased when what you really want to do is shake the s*** out of these parents like they did to their child. Remembering that you are their for the child though can help combat some of these feelings.