Key Differences between Adult and Pediatric Nurse

Many adult nurses wouldn’t dare go into pediatrics. It is a matter of choice. There are advantages and disadvantages. In this blog, you will learn about the difference between an adult and a pediatric nurse.

Needs to Act Accordingly

Pediatric nurses have to treat patient-based on their age. A pediatric nurse has to deal with 3 to 5 patients of different ages. The pediatric nurse has to know several reasoning ways so that the patient can trust their treatment style. Other different physical skills are based on the various lab values. Cognitive abilities and important vital signs differ. In pediatric nursing, it is the reality that pediatric nurses have to act differently at each development stage.

When you describe a process for treatment to an adult patient, you can convince them with a logical explanation so that they can understand well. Likewise, you can consult with the patient’s family members and tell them the same, apart from the patient. However, when discussing with children, you cannot explain them in the same way. Therefore, as a pediatric nurse, you need to approach it entirely differently.

The Past Medical History

It is not uncommon that adults have a more complicated and broad medical history than children. Because of this reason, adult nurses need to pay for all the various sources of illness. Therefore, it is specifically essential to go through the patient’s background to provide the best treatment to the patient.

Adult nurses profoundly understand different diseases, while pediatric nursing is generally more standardized. Children do not have much medical history and have general medical problems. But they are easier to treat. Sometimes children cannot describe their symptoms correctly, requiring the nurse to possess assessment and intuition skills.

Family Decision

Whether you choose to be an adult or pediatric nurse, you will have to face family drama. Seeing the family drama while treating the patient is something you need to consider before entering the nursing field. In addition, an adult patient has multiple visitors in a single day. Therefore, you need to face many questions from your family members throughout the day.

On the other hand, pediatric nurses also have to religiously update the parents about their child’s health. And it is pretty acceptable. Pediatric nurses strive hard to provide the utmost service to the children but don’t want to handle the additional burden from the parents.

On the contrary, some parents have other children to look after, or the parents may be engaged in a 9 to 5 job. A pediatric patient can be left alone with children for an extended period in such cases. In this type of situation, it is pretty hard to realize your position and duty since you cannot play the role of the parents.

As an adult nurse, you may consider or discuss the medical decision with the patient. However, as a pediatric nurse, you need to consult the treatment plans with the parents, who can legally take the decision.

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