Pediatric Nurse Definition | Goals of Pediatric Nurse

What is a Pediatric Nurse?

The term pediatric is derived from the Greek words- Pedia→ Child, Strike→ Treatment, Ics→ Branch of science. Pediatric means the science of child care and scientific treatment of childhood disease. Pediatric is synonymous with child health. A pediatric nurse who specializes in pediatric nursing is one of the important components of the health team and devotes their knowledge and skills to caring for children. They give pediatric nursing care such as as- direct bedside care to sick children, guide families to care for their children during health and illness, in hospitals, and at homes.

Definition of Pediatric Nursing:

Pediatric nursing is the science of child care and scientific treatment of childhood. This branch of medical science deals with the development and care of children and the treatment of their disease.

Qualifications of a Pediatric Nurse:

There are different types of qualifications to be pediatric nurses, those are mentioned below:

1. Critical-Thinking and Observing Skills:

Pediatric nurses need to understand the normal growth and development of the children as well as knowledge about children’s disease, sign-symptoms, treatment, and necessary nursing care

2. Sympathetic and Kind:

Pediatric nurses should be helping the mind of people. They need to be sympathetic to a patient’s needs and be able to deal with people in various states of pain, trauma, and tragedy.

3. Decision Maker:

Pediatric nurses should have the ability to quickly recognize and react to sudden changes in a child’s health and decision-making that help a child recover fast.

4. Team Work:

Pediatric nurses should work with the health care team. Attention to detail is crucial because if any wrong practice proves fatal, should be rectified even may be a physician.

5. Good Organizer:

Pediatric nurses will face multiple patients, with differing needs, stages of health, and risks. Being organized and knowing how to prioritize will be helpful.

6. Patience:

Giving care under stressful circumstances requires patience and emotional energy. Nurses may face emergency, life-threatening, or death situations. Being able to function in the heat of an emergency will be necessary.

7. Good mental and physical health:

They must be maintaining good health physically, mentally, and spiritually for her patient.

Roles of Pediatric Nurse:

Pediatric nurses have to follow some roles in his/her duty, which are discussed in the following:

1. Coordinator of Care:

Brings together the expertise of health professionals and integrates that knowledge into a comprehensive continuous sequence of care and coordinates academic educational activities (e.g. hospital-based, home and, return to the regular classroom).

2. Leader and Consultant:

Provides leadership in the professional practice setting and the profession and Acts as an agent of change. A leader is responsible for delegates responsibilities to other members of the team.

3. Care Provider:

Implement nursing care based on sound knowledge-based, scientific principles and developmental theories, and a documented therapeutic plan.

4. Health Teaching and Promotion:

Shares knowledge and skills and teaches other individuals (Both in the healthcare field and in the community) about the special aspects of children’s’ and adolescents’ rehabilitation needs.

5. Researcher:

A pediatric nurse researcher has to evaluate existing research in light of current evidence and research findings and Integrates evidence and research findings into best practices. Intra and interdisciplinary research is essential to the continual development of knowledge and skills and evidence-based practice.

6. Health Educator:

Pediatric nurses provide teaching and guidance to the child’s parents about the prevention of illness, promotion, or health maintenance.

7. Nurse Counselor:

Pediatric nurses provide directions to parents in health problems of children and the health team for their own decision making in a different situation.

8. Child Care Advocator:

The pediatric nurses act as an advocate to safeguard the child’s right, to assist, and to provide the best care from the health care team.

9. Re-creationist:

The pediatric nurses play a supportive role for the child to provide play facilities for recreation and diversion. It helps to decrease the crisis imposed by illness or hospitalization.

Goals of A Pediatric Nurse:

Pediatric nurses have to set some goals to become successful in the pediatric field, which is mentioned below:

1. To ensure skillful, intelligent, need-based comprehensive care to the children in health and sickness.
2. Pediatric nurses have to identify the basic needs of the children to their parents and family members and instruct them in child care.
3. Develop realistic, functional, and coordinated home care plans for the children and families.
4. Respect the roles of the families in the care of their children.
5. Pediatric nurses help to prevent disease and alleviate suffering in children.
6. To promote maximal growth and development of the children towards an optimum state of health for functioning at the peak of their capacity in the future.
7. Normalize the life of the child in the family home, school, and community.
8. Decrease disease impact of the child’s unique condition.

More questions related to this topic:

1. Pediatric Nurse | About Careers and Education.
2. Pediatric Nursing Careers.
3. How to Become a Pediatric Nurse.
4. Society of Pediatric Nurses: Becoming a Pediatric Nurse.
5. How Many Years Does It Take to Become a Pediatric Nurse?
6. How Much Does a Pediatric Nurse Make a Year?
7. What is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner?
8. Pediatric Nurse Education.
9. What Does a Pediatric Nurse Do?

Maria Mona

Maria Khatun Mona is a Founder and Editor of Nursing Exercise Blog. She is a Nursing and Midwifery Expert. Currently she is working as a Registered Nurse at Evercare Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has great passion in writing different articles on Nursing and Midwifery. Mail her at “[email protected]”