Caring for the pediatric population is second nature to Courtney Simmons, MSN, RN, CPEN, TCRN, NPD-BC, CEN, a pediatric emergency nurse and a senior nursing content specialist for ENA. But in teaching ED nurses, she learned that’s not the case for everyone.
Courtney Simmons, MSN, RN, CPEN, TCRN, NPD-BC, CEN
“I would have nurses come into my classes and be terrified of pediatrics,” she said, despite the fact the pediatric population makes up about 25 percent of the patients they see.
“If you’re uncomfortable with a fourth of the patients that come into your department, that not only makes your job very difficult but also potentially unsafe,” she said.
That’s why Simmons will address the importance of pediatric readiness in the session “But I’m Not a Peds Nurse! Pediatric Readiness from the Bedside” on Sept. 7 from 10-10:45 a.m. in Bellini 2101.
Simmons will discuss why ED nurses may need more pediatric education, the goals of pediatric education and training, and accessible strategies for ED nurses to become more pediatric ready.
Although nursing school often doesn’t cover pediatrics with much depth, caring for pediatric patients is different than caring for adult patients in several ways, Simmons notes. Not only is their anatomic and physiologic makeup significantly different — requiring nurses to adjust their assessments — but pediatric patients also require a different approach for nurse interactions. Talking to an adult is very different than trying to “wrangle a 3-year-old,” Simmons said.
Additionally, “there are a significant number of diseases and injuries that are specific to that age group that you don’t see in adults,” she said.
In her session, Simmons will encourage attendees to interact, share their experiences and have fun. She’ll point attendees toward additional training, education and other resources, as well as share easy, practical strategies for pediatric readiness.
One strategy she recommends is reflection and thinking ahead, encouraging nurses to put themselves into situations they might be scared of and think them through, like pediatric seizures. Nurses might ask themselves, if a pediatric patient came into the ED while seizing, would they have the supplies they need and a plan in place to care for them? Do they already know what to do or do they need more education to make themselves successful in that scenario? Have they encountered this patient situation before, and, if so, what went well and what could they have done differently?
Simmons also encourages nurses to tap pediatric-specific practice resources, such as the injury prevention organization, Safe Kids Worldwide, and engage in knowledge sharing. She recalls one group of nurses who made a poster with pediatric vital signs, so everyone in the ED could reference it.
Simmons hopes that attendees leave her session with the tools to feel more ready to treat pediatric patients.
“I hope they walk away with a firm belief that avoiding certain type of patients does not make you less nervous. It makes you more nervous,” she said. “If you go out and search for strategies to be more comfortable, you can become more confident.”