Pediatric Nursing involves the care of children, from infancy to late teens. A pediatric nursing position requires a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from an accredited nursing school along with state licensing through a comprehensive exam, usually completed after graduation. Once educated and licensed as a registered nurse, specialized training is required to work in the pediatric field. If you think you may want to specialize in pediatric nursing while researching schools to attend it might be wise to apply to schools that offer a specialty program in pediatric nursing.Sugar land pediatrician
Some hospitals may offer an internship program for new graduates that wish to specialize in pediatrics. The internship will include classroom lectures and clinical training. A nurse will have to become licensed as a certified pediatric nurse which is achieved by the exam process. There are also specialized classes that address pediatric issues. They are Pediatric Life Support, the Emergency Nurse Pediatric Course and Emergency Medical Services for Children.
As a pediatric nurse your duties may include health maintenance care, "well child" examinations, routine developmental screenings, diagnosis and treatment of common childhood illnesses, immunizations, school physicals and anticipatory guidance regarding common child health concerns. Other duties may include caring for children acutely, chronically or critically ill, performing in depth physical assessments, interpreting laboratory results and diagnostic tests and ordering medications and performing therapeutic treatments.
Some pediatric nurses may choose to focus on pediatric specialties such as cardiology, dermatology, oncology, gastroenterology or orthopedics. Specialty areas may require, again, additional education and training. Be sure to check with your local board of registration to determine the requirements and licensing of a pediatric specialty.
They also work closely with the patient and their family as part of the caring process. The pediatric nurse will sometimes be involved in dealing with the family's distress of having a child needing medical attention. The pediatric nurse will be a key player in helping families sort through the panic, anxiety, guilt and feeling of powerlessness over their child's illness and medical care. The pediatric nurse will sometimes be the liaison between the child the family and the child's doctor. The pediatric nurse is the medical professional the child and family will see more often than anyone else and will form a bond of trust and confidence with that nurse.
Pediatric nursing is different from other kinds of nursing care. Because the patients are young and their bodies are still developing, an element of challenge is added that is not found in other areas of nursing. An illness or disease affects children differently than adults and often requires different and specialized care and treatment. A pediatric nurse with patience, a smile and a friendly demeanor will go a long way making the pediatric patient and family feel less nervous and more comfortable in their medical surroundings.
As with all nursing careers, pediatric nurses are much in demand. The more training and certifications a pediatric nurse has the more in demand their skill set will become. Nursing is a rewarding career in itself but working with children, well; it just doesn't get any better than that.
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