Common Myths About Working in Peds
When people find out I am a nurse with a specialty in pediatrics, everyone's response is, "That must be so hard." Yes, it can be hard; there are some hard days, but that is true of any job. Not all days are bad days, and not all patient interactions are heart-breaking. Allow me to elaborate. My hope is that you gain a better understanding of what it is really like if you decide to specialize in pediatrics.
Myth #1 - Pediatric nursing is heartbreaking. My background is in pediatric ICU, med-surg, and oncology. Have I seen some difficult things? You bet. You can't work in an ICU and not experience the highest of highs and lowest of lows. It is a tough job; you walk into that setting knowing you are dealing with very sick patients, and they are often teetering between life and death. But that is not every shift, every patient, every day. When you decide to work with oncology patients, you know going into that field that some patients beat cancer and, sadly, sometimes cancer beats them. It is very difficult to watch a child decline in health and go through all the challenges of the disease. It is hard to get so close to these kids and their families and know that you yourself can't cure cancer, but you can care for them, help them, and support them. However, there are so many kids that beat cancer, defy the odds, and go on to live a normal existence and joyful life. I have seen it time and time again. You do know that when you work in this field, you will eventually experience child abuse cases, broken, complicated family dynamics, and unfortunate genetic defects and complex disease processes. It is part of the job and, albeit a difficult part, but again you still see happy healthy kids too who, for example, may have just hit a bump in the road and need their appendix out; no one hurt them. So, while heartbreak can be a part of the job at times, it is not the whole job. Please do not let this deter you from working in peds.
Myth #2 - You need adult med-surg experience first. I hear this so often from new grads and nursing faculty. I completely disagree. If you know in your heart you are interested in working in peds, strive to work in peds. I started my career in nursing with zero adult med-surg experience. I applied right to a pediatric ICU, knew nothing, and learned so much! Any unit will teach you what you need to know, and your exposure and experience over time build your knowledge, judgment, and comfort. Contrary to some beliefs, you do not need to have adult med-surg experience first. Now, that being said, will it help? Sure, because experience is experience. Adult med-surg floors are filled with higher acuity patients and higher RN-to-patient ratios. If this is your background, you have had ample training with time management, patient care, and a better understanding of your nursing role. This will absolutely help you when you decide to begin working in peds; it will strengthen you. But it is not imperative to get this experience before working in peds. I knew I would never work with adult med-surg patients because I never wanted to work with adults. Boy am I glad I went straight for my goal. Pediatrics trained me to be a pediatric nurse.
Myth #3 - Kids and parents are scary. Each semester, students tell me they aren't interested in peds because kids are scary. Honestly, I think adults are scary. I am in my zone when faced with a pediatric patient. Let's break this down further. Kids are not simply little adults; they are kids. When you approach them like kids and understand that their development and interaction are different, they are easier to understand. For example, a 6-month-old baby can't verbalize what hurts, but working in peds, you will learn how their crying, increased heart rate, or change in behaviors may indicate pain, sickness, hunger, etc. You begin to understand what normal vs. abnormal is, and that starts to melt away the fear of the unknown. You have to remember that you are going to see and experience so many different types of patients and diseases, but this increases your comfort and knowledge. Now, let's address the parents. I will be the first to admit that the very first time I walked into an infant's room and saw their parents, I was intimidated. I knew those parents were watching my every move, and they could probably even see me coming unnerved a bit. Then you begin to realize they are just making sure you are taking excellent care of their child. I wasn't a parent when I became a nurse, but I am one now, and I can tell you that is my perspective. I pay close attention to ensure my child is receiving the best care possible. You will quickly begin to realize that when you include the parents, talk with them and their child, and develop open communication, parents aren't so scary. It's like ripping off a band-aid; you just need to do it. You just need to talk with the parents to overcome your fear. That being said, you may still have some difficulty with families, parents, or social situations. Not every day in peds is rainbows and butterflies. But that is life and that is nursing. Bad days and difficult situations don't last, but strong nurses do!