Our crazy director (who no longer works with us) decided to start admitting pediatric patients to our unit. The unit isn't even meant for pediatric patients - it is not a locked unit and there is no play room for the kids to go to. The "designated" pediatric rooms have Wii's in them and we have things like coloring books and some toys, but that's about it. At first I thought a mixed pediatric/adult floor would be VERY unsafe, but it turns out those units are more common than I thought.
Nurses had the option to become a pedi nurse. We still have the option, but our manager made a point that they are making sure all new nurses that they hire now have at least some pediatric experience. As I think about my career, I think about how valuable this must be. What if I end up on another mixed unit in the future? What if I end up in an ER that takes kiddos in the future? I hated peds in nursing school - not because I hate kids. I like kids, I just feel so awkward around them. Peds was just boring in nursing school because we couldn't really do much. And after that I didn't really have an interest. I sort of through all of my peds knowledge out the window after I passed my NCLEX. Now I'm regretting it.
Anyway, I think I want to start taking peds patients. It would be a good resume builder and it would make me a better nurse, I think. I bought this book to review:
And so far I really like it! Schaum's has other guides for those interested. It isn't super in-depth; more like an outline, but still has a lot of valuable information. And I'm surprised at how much all of this stuff is coming back to me after a simple review!
One of the nurses I work with told me I won't ever have to worry about taking an unstable pediatric patient. There is a children's hospital about 25 minutes away where all of the unstable pediatric patients go. Most of the kids that come to my unit are admitted for dehydration, breathing problems (such as asthma exacerbation, bronchiolitis and RSV, especially now being RSV season), appys/tonsilectomies, cellulitis and for teenagers, UTIs and pyelonephritis. One thing I find really fascinating about peds are all of the congenital heart defects, but unfortunately we do not take those kinds of patients on my floor. Maybe some day.
You should embrace the peds opportunity. Lots of ERs want peds experience and PALS certification. When I started in a stepdown, we unfortunately started admitting pediatric (adolescent) lung transplants, which was sort of scary. We didn't have a choice nor training. They were always incredibly sick and had to be a 1:1/2 on a stepdown where we were normally 1:3/4. I liked it, but I also feared my lack of peds knowledge could hurt the patient. I think the smallest one was 35 kg as a teen so that was scary too. I wish I had prior peds experience before that. Jump on the opportunity! It can't hurt.
ReplyDeleteYikes that does sound scary! I'm holding off on taking peds for now until I do some more reviewing because right now I do not feel confident enough to take my own peds patients. I took one a few weeks ago, but the patient was 17 and by that age you're practically like an adult so it wasn't a problem for me. The other downfall is that there is usually only one peds nurse on the unit so it makes it kind of hard to bounce ideas off another RN if you're ever unsure. I guess I could always ask our supervisors because they are all PALS-certified, but I want to save them from stupid questions lol.
DeleteI am in pre-nursing right now. I am taking my CNA class right now then hopefully will be starting nursing soon. I want to be in pediatrics but I have also thought about surgery. I will be looking up that book. I am getting my PALS cert soon as well as a couple others. I too have been told that the more the better on your resume when it comes to the nursing certs.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you! Having CNA experience is invaluable! I worked as an aide for a bit and then worked as a tech for about a year and a half and I learned so much. That position also helped me with my skills and made me feel more comfortable in the hospital setting. I personally would wait for PALS until you are closer to being done with the program, only because PALS (like ACLS and BLS) has to be renewed every 2 years. Those course are also pretty expensive. Most employers will pay for those courses, too, or the costs will be greatly reduced. My ACLS class was only $30 (for the book) as opposed to $200+. Most employers look for those certifications, but they usually have requirements such as "must be ACLS/PALS-certified within 6 months of hire date" or something like that. Kudos to you though for already thinking ahead!
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