Student nurse - what is need to know info for peds clinic?

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Hi all!

I'm very excited as I have just received my preceptorship placement in a pediatric clinic. I have always wanted to work in a Children's Hospital, and this is my first chance getting to work with peds since beginning school! I graduate in Decemeber, but we were never allowed to be assigned to them on the floor.

I'm wanting to make myself a bit of a "cheat sheet" to study in my free time to refresh on some of the things I will need to know while working in a pediatric clinic. What would you suggest I brush-up on before beginning this new placement?

Ie - Vaccinations - types/times/side effects

Also, any other tips for a newcomer would be greatly appreciated :)

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What floor will you be on? IV nurse? Oncology? Ortho? General MedSurg? Read up on those topics in your text book and you can always go to CDC to print out a vaccination schedule. Have fun!

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In the past I've done all the med/surg, GI, ER, Hospice, etc.

This time it's a general pediatric clinic - so scheduled appointments/well checks I assume

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

In peds it is important to be aware of the differences in maturation, growth and development expected at different ages.

Know (or have a cheat sheet) the normal range of vital signs of newborns, infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers, school age children and adolescents. Also the expected parameters of growth (length, weight, head circ. and how to plot them), normal developmental tasks and play activities, norms of language development, and age-specific safety considerations.

These are important for 2 reasons: You want to be able to identify what is normal versus abnormal, and you want to be able to interact appropriately with children of all ages.

Also get very, very familiar with vaccine schedules :)

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