You Know You're A *Pediatric* Nurse When

For the past five years, I have had the opportunity to have a profession in Pediatric Nursing. People often say, "How can you work with sick little kids?" in response to me telling them I work in the Pediatric and Pediatric ICU settings as an RN. I often think that people assume Pediatric nursing is "just nursing" but on people of a smaller scale. I'll never forget the day a Peds Surgeon told us, a group of Peds nurses, at an informational meeting, that "children are NOT just small adults." They are not small adults, not anatomically, not physically, and most definitely not developmentally!

You Know You're A *Pediatric* Nurse When

So, how do you know you're a Pediatric Nurse? Well, other than the typical instances of "knowing you're a nurse"... such as, considering a 5 minute bathroom escape your morning break, excelling at getting and eating your lunch (often while on the phone) in only 15 minutes, wishing you could take just one sip of the nice cold ice water you're bringing to your patient, considering yourself lucky if your shift stays under the 13 hour mark, etc...

There are some very different, and rewarding, ways that you know you're a *Pediatric* Nurse.

You know you're a Pediatric Nurse when you obsess about your patient's urine and stool. Yes, as Peds nurses, we count urine output in increments of 0.5ccs at times, and we pray for poop! I don't know any profession who is more obsessive about stools, their color, amount, consistency, etc... than Pediatric Nursing.

You know you're a Pediatric Nurse when you don't take blood pressures on your patients, but instead you "measure their muscles" with "hugging machines." Don't get me wrong, there are still times where it can take multiple attempts or sneaking a BP cuff onto a sleeping child to get an acceptable reading, but often the "let's see how big your muscles are today" ploy proves to be helpful.

You know you're a Pediatric Nurse when you look forward to giving stickers and prizes as much, if not more, than your patients look forward to getting them. I've been known to empty out not only pens, alcohol wipes, saline flushes, etc... out of my pockets at the end of my shifts, but also Dora, Diego, Spider Man, and Princess stickers and tattoos!

You know you're a Pediatric Nurse when, seeing a giant fire-truck looking machine coming down the hallway means its time for your patient's morning chest x-ray. Yes, our portable x-ray machine is a giant fire truck known for taking amazing pictures of precious smiles... oh yeah, and lung fields, tummies, etc...

You know you're a Pediatric Nurse you can easily go through an entire roll of tape in your 2 year old patient's room in one shift only as an attempt to keep O2 sat probes, Oxygen tubing, EKG patches, etc... on your patient! Again, this is usually only an attempt at success, because those toddler age patient's often win many battles!

You know you're a Pediatric Nurse when you go into the Procedure Room with an army of 5 of more people to start an IV on a patient who weighs a measly 8kg! The procedure room often looks like a party prior to the IV start, with child life specialists, nurses, parents, toys, etc... and not uncommonly looks like a massacre after an IV start.

You know you're a Pediatric nurse when you listen for "bears and drums" instead of abdominal and heart sounds, often only after, as a Peds RN, letting your patient first listen for those same bears and drums in your heart and chest.

Most importantly, you know you're a Pediatric Nurse when you believe in magic and miracles. Children are so resilient and forgiving, their innocence and strength is enough to bring a smile to almost anyone's face, their hugs make your heart feel as though it's melting, and their desire to "get better and go home" is something to be learned by all of us. My passion for nursing is in Pediatrics, and I don't see that changing anytime soon!

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slbull07

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Specializes in Oncology.

This is the coolest thing I have read in I dunno how long thanks for sharing

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Specializes in NICU.

This is really sweet. I always thought I might like PICU in nursing school and ended up in NICU as my one true love. However, I was excited when I first got to float to PICU initially and then knew that I could never do it.

I'm curious: How do you deal with the fact that most of the PICU patients are fresh traumas, chronics (comatose) that live there until they're 21 and go to an adult facility, or their parents abuse them?

I realize that some of our ex-preemies graduate to the PICU, but the majority of them turn out just fine. I just don't know how you guys do it!

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Aww this post is adorable! I love the "measure their muscles" bit, it's so cute.

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Specializes in Pedi.

You know you're a pediatric nurse when you read a discharge summary (written by an intern/junior resident rotating through peds) and laugh when under "psychosocial" it reads "patient with history of significant behavioral issues"... these "significant behavioral issues" amount to normal 2 year old behavior.

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Specializes in Peds ED, Peds Stem Cell Transplant, Peds.

Very good, very true

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Oncology, Epic CT.

Nurses like you inspire me to want to be a pediatrics nurse. :) Beautifully written. :D

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
For the past five years, I have had the opportunity to have a profession in Pediatric Nursing. People often say, “How can you work with sick little kids?” in response to me telling them I work in the Pediatric and Pediatric ICU settings as an RN. I often think that people assume Pediatric nursing is “just nursing” but on people of a smaller scale. I’ll never forget the day a Peds Surgeon told us, a group of Peds nurses, at an informational meeting, that “children are NOT just small adults.” They are not small adults, not anatomically, not physically, and most definitely not developmentally!

So, how do you know you’re a Pediatric Nurse? Well, other than the typical instances of “knowing you’re a nurse”… such as, considering a 5 minute bathroom escape your morning break, excelling at getting and eating your lunch (often while on the phone) in only 15 minutes, wishing you could take just one sip of the nice cold ice water you’re bringing to your patient, considering yourself lucky if your shift stays under the 13 hour mark, etc… There are some very different, and rewarding, ways that you know you’re a *Pediatric* Nurse.

You know you’re a Pediatric Nurse when you obsess about your patient’s urine and stool. Yes, as Peds nurses, we count urine output in increments of 0.5ccs at times, and we pray for poop! I don’t know any profession who is more obsessive about stools, their color, amount, consistency, etc… than Pediatric Nursing.

You know you’re a Pediatric Nurse when you don’t take blood pressures on your patients, but instead you “measure their muscles” with “hugging machines.” Don’t get me wrong, there are still times where it can take multiple attempts or sneaking a BP cuff onto a sleeping child to get an acceptable reading, but often the “let’s see how big your muscles are today” ploy proves to be helpful.

You know you’re a Pediatric Nurse when you look forward to giving stickers and prizes as much, if not more, than your patients look forward to getting them. I’ve been known to empty out not only pens, alcohol wipes, saline flushes, etc… out of my pockets at the end of my shifts, but also Dora, Diego, Spider Man, and Princess stickers and tattoos!

You know you’re a Pediatric Nurse when, seeing a giant fire-truck looking machine coming down the hallway means its time for your patient’s morning chest x-ray. Yes, our portable x-ray machine is a giant fire truck known for taking amazing pictures of precious smiles… oh yeah, and lung fields, tummies, etc…

You know you’re a Pediatric Nurse you can easily go through an entire roll of tape in your 2 year old patient’s room in one shift only as an attempt to keep O2 sat probes, Oxygen tubing, EKG patches, etc… on your patient! Again, this is usually only an attempt at success, because those toddler age patient’s often win many battles!

You know you’re a Pediatric Nurse when you go into the Procedure Room with an army of 5 of more people to start an IV on a patient who weighs a measly 8kg! The procedure room often looks like a party prior to the IV start, with child life specialists, nurses, parents, toys, etc… and not uncommonly looks like a massacre after an IV start.

You know you’re a Pediatric nurse when you listen for “bears and drums” instead of abdominal and heart sounds, often only after, as a Peds RN, letting your patient first listen for those same bears and drums in your heart and chest.

Most importantly, you know you’re a Pediatric Nurse when you believe in magic and miracles. Children are so resilient and forgiving, their innocence and strength is enough to bring a smile to almost anyone’s face, their hugs make your heart feel as though it’s melting, and their desire to “get better and go home” is something to be learned by all of us. My passion for nursing is in Pediatrics, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon!

Beautiful!!! Being a pediatric nurse has ALLOWED me to stay in nursing...there is NOTHING like a a child's resiliency to put life in perspective. Been doing it for seven years and plan to do it more!!! All because of being a Pediatric nurse...

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Specializes in Aged care, disability, community.

I used to work with kids who were living at home or at the one and only children's respite centre in town and these are so true. So it

You've made a chicken out of a latex glove and magic markers.

You've gone home from work with your uniform covered in finger paint.

You carried bubble mix on you. (bubble blowing is great for lung physio)

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

I think the one thing I NEVER wanted to be when I started Nursing School was a Peds Nurse, and then it happened and here I am, a Pediatric Nurse.

I even have decided to become a Foster/Adoptive Parent of a chronic Peds case, and the population has stolen my heart. I have made it my priority to provide them with competent and compassionate care even if it means watching a TON of Sponge Bob, Little Mermaid or whatever the latest obsession is.

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I'm so glad there is someone like you (and hopefully a lot like you) working with children! I *could* do it, but I would be horrible at it. I'm terrible at playing, being "silly" or consoling kids that aren't mine. Kids deserve to have a nurse who loves pediatrics and I can tell you're one of them!

I hope you never lose your passion! Also, never forget how important those stickers are! I've had nurses seem annoyed when my own children asked to have a sticker at the end of a doctor's appointment....those are the nurses who don't belong there! It's so funny how important one sticker is to a kid after getting a shot or a procedure...especially when the nurse gives it to them for doing a "good job" (even if they were horrible).

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