The Issues Of Pediatric Care Nurses

A pediatric nurse would be the career for me because I work well with children and I find that helping children makes me happy. Being a pediatric nurse has many duties and personal characteristics needed; such as working with children and getting along with them easily. Being a pediatric nurse also requires many years of studying and also many costs, but in the end the wages and benefits make up for it. The work setting and employment outlook are looking good for the upcoming years. Having a career as a pediatric nurse requires a lot of responsibilities and duties but I feel that because I am hard working and easily get along with children this would be the right career for me.

Patients have needs unrelated to their illness or injury. Having spent my entire career in pediatrics, often my focus is on developmental needs and what activities can be provided that support normal development. Some needs, however, seem to be universal. The need for play, learning, and social contact are not restricted to children. Meeting the emotional and psychosocial needs of the patient without compromising the physical needs demanded by the illness or injury is occasionally a delicate balancing act, and is where the art of nursing meets the science of nursing. By collaborating with our patients and families and respecting their values, a plan can be reached that both supports their needs and involves them in their own care.

In 18th century America, medicine was in a transition mode. While some pre-modern practices were still around, the 18th century saw the beginnings of a new modern medical practice. Replacing the passed down wisdom from the ancient world was clinical observation, the first American medical school, and experimental science, along with many physicians beginning to replace midwives. During the 18th century, a transition from pre-modern practices and theories to modern medical practice occurred because of medical education and the growth of hospitals, advances in medical procedures, and different types of medical practitioners.

I qualified as a paediatric nurse in 2006 and have over 10 years experience working in a variety of roles mostly acute services as outlined above.

In the preindustrial era, 1800s, the United States fell behind other countries in health services. There was no medical training until around 1870 (Shi & Singh, 2013). Medical training began with students training under the supervision of physicians. Physicians saw patients by making house calls. Health care was delivered in a free market (Shi & Singh, 2013). No one had insurance so costs were out of pocket. For most Americans, this was a problem and some rural areas relied on folk medicine to heal the sick. The medical institutions during this era were not sanitized properly and nurses were not trained to practice safety and hygiene care. The government provided facilities for elderly, chronically ill patients, and clinics that offered free care.

Staff nurses have great responsibilities in caring for patients. Often, these nurses experience heavy workload. Heavy patient load and stress contributes to burnout. Why is burnout important to discuss in relation to nurses? Burnout affects the performance of the nurse and the quality of care he or she provides to the patient. Therefore, it is imperative that staff nurses decrease the possibility of burnout and increase or maintain excitement and enjoyment in the field of nursing. If nurses do so, they will find joy in their work and quality of patient care will be increased. Contributors to burnout and

Pediatric nursing is an important profession to us today. They devote their knowledge and skills to caring for children from infancy through the late teen years. Pediatric nursing does not just give you the opportunity to work with children, but with their families as well. I was inspired to become a pediatric nurse when I was younger. I remember when my little sister had to go to Kids First Pediatric to get a flu shot, my sister was so terrified of the needle she began to cry and try to move away from the nurse. In order for the nurse to calm my sister down she started making my sister laugh by playing peek-a-boo with her so that my sister could get her mind off of the needle. Once my sister was no longer thinking about the needle the nurse told my sister to count with her and on the count of three the nurse gave my sister the flu shot without my sister even noticing it. I found it so unique how a nurse could be playful with kids when they’re scared. I like working with kids so I know that this particular field is perfect for me.

Children get injured or sick every day, and it doesn’t matter whether the child goes to a doctor or a pediatrician they are still tended to by a pediatric nurse. A pediatric nurse has to have many qualities. They also have to take many different classes. A pediatric nurse’s pay can vary from location to location depending on where they are working. Pediatric nurses must endure many different things to make it into this particular work field, and have many different qualities.

Children's HealthCare was one thing that could’ve helped Americans resolve and prevent a lot of sickness during this time. This is something the government have been wanting to do but many actions wasn’t taken until the early 1900’s. During the Progressive Era Infants and pregnant women were the most concern to medical workers due to the uncleanliness and shortage of medical services. Some would argue the Children’s HealthCare was going to cause America to go farther in debt and lose money. However, evidence shows it would help prevent the majority of germs spreading around and speed up the healing process of infections and diseases. People have been fighting for children's medicare since early 1900’s. In 1909 the federal government largely expanded its attention and role in promoting the welfare of America’s children and

Healthcare in early America was not based on scientific medicine and healthcare facilities were limited to “at home” care. The view of health care was focused on epidemics of acute infections related to poor food, water, housing and sanitation resulting limited to untrained physicians an d nurses that were inadequate to provide sustainable life saving care (Williams & Torrens, 2008). Since health care was limited to the home or charity, very little progress was made to on the prevention of diseases. During the early 1800’s towns like North Carolina had no way to combat the spread of diseases like small pox, therefore their only option was to introduce maritime quarantine that would later lay the groundwork for advances in control measures for epidemic diseases (Watson, 2013). These measures helped limit the spread of the disease but failed to address disease management. However the advancement of medical schools such as Harvard

In the early 1800s, both in Europe and in the United States, physicians with formal medical training began to stress the idea that germs and social conditions might cause and spread disease, especially in cities. Many municipalities created "dispensaries" that dispensed medicines to the poor and offered free physician services. Epidemics of cholera, diphtheria, tuberculosis, and yellow fever, and concerns about sanitation and hygiene, led many city governments to create departments of health. New advances in studying bacteria were put to practical use as "germ theory" became the accepted cause for illness. It was in the face of epidemics and poor sanitation, government-sponsored public health, and healthcare that private healthcare began to systematically diverge.

The primary role of a pediatric nurse is to deliver developmentally-appropriate patient-centered care. Pediatric nurses must truly understand that kids of different ages have different developmental abilities and skills, which is necessary for ensuring proper care. It’s important for pediatric nurses to understand the particular needs of children and how those needs change throughout each developmental stage- infancy, toddlerhood, preschool age, adolescence, etc. Additionally, being able to communicate appropriately with children and their guardians is a key

Similar to physical exhaustion, emotional exhaustion results from depletion of emotional resources and failure to restore one’s own emotional equilibrium. (Moore, 2009, p. 1) In today’s busy society the demands of life, job and family can be excessive and overwhelming. Combine these demands with the additional stressors of caring for another person or persons, increased demands of productivity with decreased personnel and the unrealistic expectations of one’s self or others and place all of this burden on one person, this would adequately describe the 21st century nurse. Nurses are continually engaged in emotional relationships with patients and their families which call upon the nurse to be in a constant supporting role. One reaches emotional exhaustion when this burden becomes too heavy to carry

Nurses are especially vulnerable to several related effects of stress, such as burnout, job dissatisfaction, increased interpersonal problems, increased health complaints, disturbances in sleep patterns, as well as clinical depression and anxiety (Villani, Grassi, Cognetta, Toniolo, Cipresso, & Riva, 2013). The potential for stress can be reduced by resolving difficulties in the workplace promptly, addressing staff shortages, turnover and absenteeism, and developing clear objectives and plans (McIntosh, & Sheppy, 2013). Learning to manage and reduce stress by developing insight and coping strategies will help to maintain and promote nursing integrity and consistent patient care (McIntosh, & Sheppy, 2013).

Maloney, C. (2012). Critical incient stress debriefing and pediatric nurses: An approach to support the work enviroment and mitigate negative consequences. Pediatric Nursing, 38(2), 110-113.