Duties of a Pediatric Nurse

Pediatric nursing is a field where the nurses are involved in the treatment and care of infants, children and teenagers. It has become one of the most sought after nursing field among the different types of nursing careers. People who are of a compassionate nature and love to be with children are fit to become pediatric nurses. The major duties of a pediatric nurse is to look after the overall health of the patient.

Educational Qualifications
There are no specific courses one can take to become a pediatric nurse. Any person who wants to specialize in pediatrics has to first do a diploma or degree in nursing. It is also important to become a registered nurse (RN) to further a career in the field of pediatric nursing. To be a certified pediatric nurse, one must do an internship at a pediatric department of any hospital or work in the clinic of a pediatrician and then pass an examination given by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB). Receiving one's training at a pediatric hospital will help the candidates gain practical experience which will help them in their future career.

Responsibilities of a Pediatric Nurse
A pediatric nurse works in the pediatric department of a hospital, children's clinics or at their homes. The basic duties of a pediatric nurse involve any or all of the following:

• Performing physical examinations and giving medicines prescribed by the doctor to hospitalized patients.
• As little children are usually afraid of medical settings, it is the duty of the pediatric nurse to make them comfortable with encouraging words, so that they can conduct the necessary tests and treatment procedures smoothly.
• Responsibilities of a pediatric nurse involves taking temperature, blood pressure, respiratory rate and heart rate of the patient.
• He/she also has the duty of starting intravenous medications, performing head to toe examinations and collecting samples of patient's urine and stools for laboratory tests.
• Pediatric nurses can also specialize in certain areas like neonatal care, pediatric or neonatal ICU, surgical and medical unit, hematology and oncology, etc.
• Some nurses also specialize in certain diseases, for instance treating patients suffering from cancer, diabetes, etc.
• Many pediatric nurses also work at emergency department of the hospital. This course trains nurses in giving immediate treatment to children who are injured and those who are seriously ill. For this, they would have to do an emergency nursing pediatric course from Emergency Nurse Association. They can also specialize in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Basic Trauma Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, etc.
• As pediatrics is based on the treatment and care of children, nurses have to deal with depressed and tensed parents, especially if their wards are suffering from some critical illness.
• Young children do not have enough vocabulary to express feelings of physical pain. Professional pediatric nurses are expected to have a thorough knowledge about non-verbal signs of pain and recognizing its intensity.They are then expected to take adequate measures to reduce pain and discomfort felt by the child.
• It is the pediatric nurse's duty to truthfully inform parents about their children's health, and at the same time offer them emotional support and strength.
• Pediatric nurse duties also include educating the parents about how to take care of their children once they are discharged from the hospital. This includes diet restrictions, how and when to give the medicines, changing the dressing or bandages, and about the everyday care of children.
• A pediatric nurse is trained to diagnose a patient's disease and to prescribe medications as well as administer emergency treatment in absence of a pediatrician. Moreover, they have to have an ability to interpret X-rays and lab tests.
• One can also become a pediatric nurse anesthetist, where one is entitled to administer anesthesia to children before an operation.

The duties of a pediatric nurse also involves supervising the regular check up of healthy children and make sure that they are given immunizations on time. Besides medical knowledge, a good pediatric nurse requires qualities such as patience and understanding, as dealing with children is no easy task!