Gifted Guide: Pediatric Nursing

The nursing profession is constantly evolving – there are dozens, if not hundreds, of different nursing specialties. Today, Gifted Healthcare highlights Pediatric (Peds) Nursing. A pediatric nurse cares for patients between infancy and adulthood and has a unique role within the medical community.

Read on to learn about the duties and benefits of pediatric nursing.

Roles & Responsibilities

A pediatric nurse cares for patients between infancy and adulthood. Because their patients are children, pediatric nurses are required to display a deep understanding of human growth and development.

Pediatric nurses are required to perform many of the same duties as an RN that cares for adults. However, Peds nurses perform their duties with special care and attention – studies show that they have a much larger impact on their patient’s long-term health.

In addition to taking extra care with their tasks, a pediatric nurse must approach their relationship with patients differently than nurses caring for adults. A pediatric nurse must be warm, compassionate, and good with children. At times, pediatric nurses act as a substitute for a parent or loved one, making silly jokes and playing games with their patients

Why Is Pediatric Nursing Unique?

The pediatrics nursing experience is unique in a few significant ways. First, pediatric nurses must be excellent interpersonal communicators. They interact directly with their patients more than any other kind of nurse.

A great pediatric nurse is a great listener. Depending on their age, pediatric patients often communicate much differently than adults, so pediatrics nurses must be observant of the emotional states and non-verbal cues of their patients.

Pediatric nurses also interact with the families of their patients more than other kinds of nurses. The families of pediatric patients are very involved with their care and recovery, so nurses must communicate effectively with everyone responsible for their patients’ well-being.

Pediatric nursing can be psychologically taxing – but it’s extremely rewarding. Pediatrics nurses have deeply moving and joyous experiences on a regular basis, but often care for severely or terminally ill patients. Over time, this can take an emotional toll, making self-care a must.

Daily Tasks

According to the Institute of Pediatric Nursing, pediatric registered nurses most commonly work in:

Free-standing children’s hospitals (30.3 percent)
Children’s hospitals associated with a major medical center (28.3 percent)
Outpatient specialty care (11.7 percent)

A pediatric nurse’s routine is similar to nurses in other specialties. The following list (Rasmussen College) outlines the daily responsibilities of a pediatric nurse:

Assess patients’ conditions
Record patients medical histories and symptoms
Observe patients and record the observations
Administer patients’ medicines and treatments
Help perform diagnostic tests and analyze the results
Teach patients and their families how to manage illnesses or injuries

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Nursing

PICU nurses have similar duties to nurses that work in adult ICUs. They treat patients with serious or life-threatening conditions.

PICU nurses typically care for fewer patients per shift than standard pediatric nurses. They must constantly be alert and work quickly to stabilize a patient’s condition during emergency health issues.

As we mentioned above, PICU nurses care for severely ill patients on a daily basis, making their job emotionally intense. However, guiding a patient to a successful recovery from critical condition is an extremely rewarding experience.

Other subspecialties include Peds Operating Room (OR) nursing and Peds Emergency Room (ER) nursing.

Pediatric Nurses Are Heroes

Gifted Healthcare is honored to support all pediatric and PICU nurses.

Pediatric nurses display a tremendous amount of skill, care, and compassion every day. They play a critical role in their patients’ successes – clinically, developmentally, and emotionally.