third semester challenges

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I'm going into my third semester of my BSN program. I will be taking pediatrics and medsurge 2. I've heard peds is challenging because the information is different from adults. Any advice on preparing for peds or medsurge 2 would greatly be appreciated!

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

It's difficult, but it's all very individual what's challenging. I take it you don't have children? Those of us that do seemed to have an easier time. Review Erikson's stages, and know the normal ranges for vitals. Like every class, study hard. :)

For med/surg 2, I imagine you'll be covering cardiac stuff, which, for me, was tough. Work on the rhythms and what they mean. You'll also need to know how to treat them (this may come up on the NCLEX... hint hint!!).

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It's difficult, but it's all very individual what's challenging. I take it you don't have children? Those of us that do seemed to have an easier time. Review Erikson's stages, and know the normal ranges for vitals. Like every class, study hard. :)

For med/surg 2, I imagine you'll be covering cardiac stuff, which, for me, was tough. Work on the rhythms and what they mean. You'll also need to know how to treat them (this may come up on the NCLEX... hint hint!!).

Thank you! No I don't have children, I have two nephews but not around them all that much because of school. What about the developmental milestones? Is that the same as Erikson? Or specifically for pediatrics?

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Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.

Pediatrics/OB/L&D at my school is a very difficult semester with many students barely making it, because of this I was extremely scared and apprehensive; which in the long run made me focus and study harder.

I ended up enjoying pediatrics and learning a lot, a child is just a much smaller adult. It is important to understand stages of development (erikson) and development milestones (crawling, walking, etc). You will have to know a new range of acceptable vital signs (the younger the child the higher the RR & HR and lower BP).

Med/Surg II for us was a lot of surgical, GI, and some cardiac stuff; most of it was a repeat of med/surg I but more in depth.

Do not let people psych you out, it all depends on how much work you put into it. Best of luck!!

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Specializes in Nasty sammiches and Dilaudid.
...a child is just a much smaller adult.

Wrong wrong wrong--kids are anything BUT small adults...

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Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.
Wrong wrong wrong--kids are anything BUT small adults...

They aren't some exotic creature that you can't touch, granted the margin to make an error is much smaller and interventions have to be quick and accurate but the same can be said for a critical adult.

Unless you plan on going into pediatrics (which I do not) you don't need to go crazy.

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Thank you all so much for the advice! I will continue to put a lot of time into my studies and possibly even more into an area I'm not so excited for (pediatrics).

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

They are NOT NOT NOT little adults. DO NOT go in thinking they are!!! Any pediatric nurse will absolutely CRINGE hearing someone say that they are. One of the fundamentals of pediatric nursing is that they are not little adults!

Developmental milestones- when should they be able to hold up their head? Stack two blocks? Say their first word? Different than Erikson's developmental stages.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Peds are definitely NOT little adults. They react a bit differently to stress and abnormal physiological states than adults do. Know the Developmental Milestones and Erickson's developmental stages. Yes, they are different! Definitely know the vital signs norms. They do change as the kid grows and gets older... Also medication dosing will be different and held to a more precise standard as the therapeutic range can be pretty narrow given the size/weight and metabolism of kids vs adults.

The program that I went through had peds and maternity/OB in 2nd semester, not 3rd. That made for a much easier way to transition from one subject to another.

While I doubt I'll be a peds nurse, it's still excellent knowledge to have because you never know if you'll suddenly have to be one, if only for a little while.

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I have peds with Medsurge 2 and then critical care and OB together the following semester.

Thankyou for clarifying Erikson and the developmental milestones. I don't have my peds book but I think I found a good table for the milestones- ranges from birth to 3 years old. I also look for the vital signs associated with each age.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

I have a hard time believing one who thinks children are "little adults" could manage to pass peds and the clinical portion. My teacher in peds stated that if we learned nothing else, it should be that children are not little adults and thus must be treated and cared for differently.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.
I have a hard time believing one who thinks children are "little adults" could manage to pass peds and the clinical portion. My teacher in peds stated that if we learned nothing else, it should be that children are not little adults and thus must be treated and cared for differently.

No need to be rude, I passed OB/PEDS with an A and had the mentality that these kids were just little adults. It's my personal belief and served me very well through the semester. I studied my butt off and made sure I was safe and appropriate in clinicals. Peds is a scary semester because it's something we aren't used to, at least for me it was. If this made it somewhat easier for me then why not pass that on to someone who might find some benefit to it.

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