What Makes A Better Pediatric Nurse? Life Experience vs. Credentials
Pediatric nurses have unique challenges. Nurses are not only caring for the patient but the parents as well. What challenges do pediatric nurses without children of their own encounter? How do we overcome and connect with parents?
SpecialtiesPICUArticle
I have often thought about this very question. Are you a better pediatric nurse if you are a mom or if you have skills and extra education?? I became a pediatric nurse in 1995 and have worked in pediatrics, PICU, NICU, Newborn Nursery and Pediatric PACU for almost 20 years. Half of my working years I was not a mom. I remember during my first years as a pediatric nurse getting asked, "Do you have kids?"
I thought to myself why would that matter, I am a skilled and competent nurse. I have my Bachelor's degree and am certified in BLS, PALS, and NRP and obtained my pediatric CCRN, why would being a mom make me a more competent nurse? It often made me think the parents of my patients questioned my care simply because I was not a mom.
Everything changed when I became a mom in 2005 through adoption and brought my daughter home in 2006. When I became a parent I related on an entirely different level. I began to understand how terrifying it can be when your baby has a high fever. I also realized that I now actively sought advice from other parents on my child's health issues and not opinions from people without kids of their own.
I am now able to draw from and share my own child's healthcare experiences with my patients' parents and give many new and experienced moms and dads a better understanding and expectation of the care I am providing their children. I currently work as a PACU nurse. My daughter had her adenoids removed at age 2. I experienced first hand how it feels to see your child coming out of anesthesia and not being able to soothe their discomfort, feeling helpless and frustrated.
Parents are often comforted by my stories and talk with me about their feelings. I recently had a patient who had a procedure and her mom was unsure if she should send her child to school the next day. I explained that it depends on the child and how they feel the next day. She asked if I was a mom, I answered yes, she then asked if I would send my daughter to school the next day. I answered her question honestly and she said that was all she needed, she would do the same and trusted my judgment completely. It made me think back to the times I was asked this same question when I was not a mom, all the education and degrees in the world do not make up for life experiences. I knew how to use all of my technical skills to help their child get well; however, at that stage in my career I was unable to pull from personal experiences.
In conclusion, being a mom does not make me a better pediatric nurse; it allows me to connect with the parents of my patients on a different level than nurses without children. I am now able to pull from my own personal experiences with my daughter when helping worried parents get through their child's recovery.
These personal connections are what the parents are looking for. I would say to nurses without children today to not be put off or concerned by the question "Are you a mom?" Be confident in your skills and find another connection with the parents that will build their confidence in you caring for their child. Being a nurse provides us with so many chances to connect with others and to make a real difference in these families' lives.
