how to decide what to specialize in as a rn

illustration of nurse with mother and child

While yous know they're not the only option when it comes to patients, yous've e'er imagined yourself caring for children when thinking about a career as a registered nurse (RN). From what you can tell, pediatric nursing seems like an ideal fit for you. You get to exist around niggling ones and make those big, scary medical procedures seem not then bad.

While that sounds amazing, y'all're still hoping to get some questions answered before committing to the career. What practice pediatric nurses do? What's a day in the life of a pediatric nurse like? How practise you become a pediatric nurse?

Nosotros enlisted seasoned nursing experts to help provide answers to these questions and more. Consider their insights to assist determine if becoming a pediatric RN is the right choice for yous.

What does a pediatric nurse do?

Pediatric nurses are registered nurses who specialize in caring for patients from birth through adolescence. They must have a deep knowledge of kid growth and development as diseases and conditions in children oftentimes present and are treated differently than in adults.

Because their patients are and then much younger, pediatric nurses often class strong relational ties with them in different ways than they would with adult patients. This might include playing games, telling jokes, acting silly or holding their hand during tough procedures.

Though some pediatric nurses may perform similar duties to what they would perform in a nursing unit for adults, they must carry out their duties with actress care and attending. "Pediatric nurses have a greater influence on their patient's time to come—from growth and evolution to health promotion and practices," says Rasmussen University Nursing instructor Brooke Cobb.

What are some typical pediatric RN duties?

Though at that place are many different types of pediatric nurses, the about common title is that of a pediatric registered nurse. A pediatric RN performs many of the aforementioned functions of registered nurses, though the ways they perform them are often very unlike since their patients are often more vulnerable and require smashing family and guardian back up.

An RN often performs the following duties, co-ordinate to the Agency of Labor Statistics:¹

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

Pediatric nurses take a lot of options equally they can work in many subspecialties inside the field throughout their careers. Their work includes substantial patient contact time, and these nurses may form close relationships with the patients and their families.

What are some pediatric nursing specialties?

Under the umbrella of pediatrics, you may find opportunities for fifty-fifty more specialized nursing piece of work. Let's take a closer look at two of the more common types of pediatric nurses: pediatric oncology and pediatric intensive care unit nursing.

What does a pediatric oncology nurse do?

Pediatric oncology nurses are focused on treating young patients facing complications from (often malignant) tumors. Though nurses who work in adult oncology units have many comparable duties, it's important to note that treating children with cancer is not the aforementioned as treating adults.

The same type of cancer may call for dissimilar treatment protocols in children than in adults, and even the side effects of treatment may take on more than weight if there'southward a possibility it could stunt the child's expected growth and development. In addition, some cancers only exist in children and require additional knowledge and specialization from the medical staff.

Duties unique to pediatric oncology nurses may include:

Complete assessments on children prior to having chemotherapy administered to make sure they are healthy enough to tolerate the treatment
Administrate chemotherapy as ordered by the doctor
Monitor children existence treated with chemotherapy for signs of any life-threatening side furnishings
Educate families about their child'southward status, treatments and how they tin can manage side effects at home

What do pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurse exercise?

Like nurses who work with adults in the intensive care unit of measurement, PICU nurses focus on treating young patients with serious, life-threatening atmospheric condition. Many of the core duties remain the same: monitoring and assessing patient statuses, administering medications or treatments, and working quickly to assist stabilize a patient'southward status if they take a plow for the worse.

Ane primary deviation is that, typically, PICU nurses have a smaller number of patients to care for during their shifts. While that might sound like information technology could exist "easier," remember that treatments are less uniform in a pediatric unit of measurement as patients are at varying stages of development—medications and treatment plans demand to be tailored for the patients' stage in evolution.

Equally you might imagine, these types of pediatric nurses encounter some incredibly emotionally taxing moments. It's not like shooting fish in a barrel to witness young children losing their fight with cancer or a serious illness, nor is it like shooting fish in a barrel to run into the touch on their families. But it'due south not all emotional low points—aiding young patients on their fashion to a full recovery can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

Where do pediatric nurses work?

Pediatric nurses have many workplace options depending on what subset of care they are interested in. Co-ordinate to 2017 data from the Institute of Pediatric Nursing, the three virtually common workplaces for certified pediatric nurses include:²

Free-continuing children's hospitals (30.3 percent)
Children'south hospitals associated with a major medical centre (28.iii percent)
Outpatient specialty care centers (eleven.seven per centum)

As you might expect, facilities devoted to pediatric care, like children'due south hospitals, are a primary employer of pediatric RNs—but that doesn't necessarily hateful you're out of luck if you don't live near one. Many big hospitals and healthcare networks have specialized pediatric nursing opportunities too.

What yous should know before becoming a pediatric nurse

Now that you understand the nuts of these specialists do, y'all're probably curious about what a 24-hour interval in the life of a pediatric nurse is like. Here'southward what our seasoned experts call back yous should know well-nigh the role.

1. Listening and observation is cardinal

Nurses interact face-to-face with patients more than whatsoever other provider. With adult patients, it's relatively simple to get information about what ails them—merely working with immature patients can bring unique challenges on this front end. Though a child'due south medical chart may cover quite a bit, many crucial pieces of information nonetheless need to be gathered from the patients and the family. Factors like lack of fiscal resource, boosted life stressors and transportation concerns can profoundly influence the patient'due south care programme.

Additionally, pediatric nurses will need to go along a close middle out for nonverbal clues. "Patients in all historic period ranges need nurses to heed, but our pediatric patients cannot always articulate their specific needs through verbal communication," says Cobb.

Once you get comfy in your role as a pediatric nurse, it may be tempting to tune out what yous might think is extraneous churr. Listening to the concerns of both parent and child will just farther help you in giving the best care possible for your patient.

2. Kids are resilient

"Kids are very resilient, and they heal more rapidly than adults. This tin can be an advantage as health outcomes are more often than not more promising in pediatrics," says Tyler Dean, certified pediatric nurse and associate professor at Rasmussen University.

A four-year-former can go from crying about an IV stick to giggling a minute afterward. Working in pediatrics allows you to play a huge part in those giggles. "The most rewarding attribute of working in pediatrics is that you tin can play, make jokes and be a little goofy at times," Dean says. Non simply is that skilful for the kids, but it's good for you too. Nursing can be very stressful, and these interactions tin can bring joy to a normal 24-hour interval.

3. Yous'll exist working with families but as much equally you lot will with children

A patient's family unit is an integral part of their recovery, so it's key that y'all communicate with them simply equally effectively equally yous practise with the kid.

"Pediatric nurses employ a family unit-centered approach, which ways y'all include, engage and brainwash all members of the family unit along with the patient," Dean explains. And don't forget the patient's siblings! Ofttimes, equally the family is stressed and focused on the patient, siblings get ignored, so it ways a lot for nurses to acknowledge the siblings' emotions and presence.

4. You can further specialize with pediatrics

Just as nurses can specialize when working in developed intendance, pediatric nurses tin too. Whether yous're interested in intensive care, emergency care, orthopedics, oncology, trauma, gastroenterology, home healthcare, the NICU or case management, information technology'due south likely you lot'll exist able to find a pediatric section that aligns with your interests.

The duties are typically similar to the adult-equivalent specialty you may be more familiar with, though the ways you communicate and interact with the patient will be different. You'll wait for different developmental markers and rely on information communicated by the patient'due south family. You may as well need to be more observant of visual and behavioral clues since younger patients may have trouble articulating exactly how they feel or what they need.

5. Yous'll have to take care of yourself too

Depending on where you work as a pediatric nurse, you may exist caring for children with last illnesses or other very serious health issues. While y'all won't be the 1 delivering the bad news initially or working with the family in the long run, learning how to navigate these situations in a positive way can have a positive impact on the family.

But fifty-fifty if you lot handle tough situations with families perfectly, seeing the pain in family unit members' faces in tough medical situations tin can be emotionally taxing, especially as you listen and stay present with them as they grieve. "As with all types of nursing, it is important to accept care of yourself and have a professional relationship with your patients and their families so you tin can return the side by side twenty-four hour period and dedicate yourself 100 per centum to those patients as well," Dean shares.

Your team will be able to chronicle to what you're going through, and members may be able to assist you verbally process your thoughts, emotions and feelings after stressful days. The charge nurse or chaplain may also check in with you as well. On your own, finding time to refuel, spending time with loved ones and investing in your own hobbies are keys to preventing exhaustion. "We are however man—it's okay to cry or enquire for help," says Dean.

Do y'all have a future in pediatric nursing?

There'southward a lot that goes into becoming and working as a pediatric nurse, but there's no denying that reaching that goal later on years of hard piece of work will be more than than worth it. Your kickoff step toward working in pediatrics is condign a registered nurse. Learn more about the path ahead in our article "How to Go a Registered Nurse: Your 4-Step Guide."

¹Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.South. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [accessed June, 2021] world wide web.bls.gov/ooh/. Data represents national, averaged data for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. Employment conditions in your expanse may vary.
^two"Pediatric Nursing Workforce Data", Institute of Pediatric Nursing [accessed June, 2021] http://www.ipedsnursing.org/pediatric-nursing-workforce-data

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was originally published in October 2017. Information technology has since been updated to include information relevant to 2021.

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Source: https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/blog/becoming-a-pediatric-nurse/