Lecture 4 Flashcards
Unique challenges of Pediatric nursing vs caring for adults
- Everything in pediatric nursing is fragile and sensitive. Tiny doses of meds run slowly on pumps, small chest tubes, and even the slightest nursing errors can have BIG consequences
- Peds: Variety of reasoning strategies are necessary for interventions
Unique challenges of Pediatric nursing vs caring for adults (8)
- Everything in pediatric nursing is fragile and sensitive. Tiny doses of meds run slowly on pumps, small chest tubes, and even the slightest nursing errors can have BIG consequences
- Peds: Variety of reasoning strategies are necessary for interventions
-> Possibly 3-5 patients from toddler to adolescent
-> Different coping skills
-> Different physical skills
-> Different cognitive abilities
-> Different lab values
-> Different vital sign normal ranges
Adults: The majority fall within the same categories - Two levels and direction of discussion are required:
-> For the parents, use logical explanation
-> For the child (the patient), simplify and use different language
-> For adult patients, you can address everyone in the room at once - Children often see nurses as a threat and cower from them when they
enter the room
-> Adults generally welcome the arrival of the nurse - Adults may have complicated and extensive medical hx and different
medical risks that must be sorted for dx
-> Pediatric nursing is more straightforward
-> Fewer allergies
-> Limited to no medical hx
-> Single medical problem with an associated etiology
-> But, pediatric patients crash quicker
-> Less reserves
-> Can compensate normal vitals for a period of time before sudden
decline
-> Codes almost always originate from respiratory cause
-> Can’t tell you where it hurts, how it hurts, when it started - Increased pressure to have things go right
-> Hovering family members create pressure to get IV in baby with just
one stick or risk an angry parental outburst
-> Or, parents can’t stay and child is needy, pulling you from other
patients. Nurse becomes disciplinarian, caregiver.
-> Adult patients are generally self-sufficient - ethical dilemmas
-> Parents may agree to tx, but adolescent patient disagrees. - Difficult to observe so much pain and sadness in innocent lives
-> Maternity patients generally have joy and excitement, and their pain
can disappear with epidurals
Benefits of Pediatric Nursing
- Poop is not as disgusting as with adults
- Throw-up is not as disgusting as with adults
- Diaper changes are not as difficult
Cephalocaudal
Improvement in structure and function come first in the head region, then in the trunk, and last in the leg region
Growth and Development
Travel from head to toe the first year of life in increments of 3 months
Second year of life double it and go in increments of 6 months
For the next two years, double it again and go in increments of 12 months
3 Month Growth
Maintain head upright
6 Months
Sitting upright
9 Months
Crawling
12 Months
Walking
18 Months
Running
2 Years
Jumping
3 Years
Tricycle
4 Years
Hop on one foot
Sigmund Freud’s Theory
Psychosexual development (he was a dirty, dirty old man)
Jean Piaget’s Theory
Cognitive development
Erik Erikson’s Theory
Psychosocial
Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory
Moral development
Stage 1 of Separation Anxiety in Kids
Protest
-> Loud inconsolable cry
-> Clinging
-> Attempts to force parent to stay (don’t do mommy/daddy)
-> Lasts variable lengths of time