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Providing medical care to the infants, children and adolescents comes under the Pediatrics department. The career as a pediatric nurse is for those who love to care for kids and do not have any hesitation in working for long and endless hours. The primary job of a pediatric nurse is to provide preventive and acute care to pediatric patients. They are specially trained registered nurses working in a variety of healthcare settings. Some of the major works performed by pediatric nurses are routine examinations and developmental screenings, treatment of childhood illnesses, administration of immunizations, school physicals, and guidance regarding common health concerns.
The job of a pediatric nurse further extends to caring for critically or chronically ill children. They perform therapeutic treatments and order right medications for the patients. The nurses are trained in interpreting test results and taking care of complete physical examinations aspect. They consistently interact with the family members of the patients and discuss treatment options with them. They have high level of emotional stability and genuine love for the children.
As far as qualifications for pediatric nursing are concerned, he/she must complete an approved registered nursing program and a specialization in pediatrics. The education and training program includes extensive classroom instruction and supervised clinical experience. The subjects covered on the course curriculum are, childhood diseases and disorders, human growth and development, psychological and behavioral health of children, family centered care, physiology of children and health promotion and maintenance. A pediatric nurse needs to get the requisite license. Completing an approved nursing program and clearing the national licensing examination are the major licensing requirements. The national licensing examination is called NCLEX-RN in the USA. One also has the choice of becoming a Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) administered by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB).
Some of the other soft skills and qualities required by pediatric nurses are compassion, open-mindedness, detail-oriented, caring and excellent communication and interpersonal skills along with ability to comfort patients. They must be able to handle stress.
In India, the major nursing courses are, B. Sc Nursing, General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM), M.Sc. Nursing, and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife/Health Worker. The basic eligibility to join B.Sc. Nursing is successful completion of 10+2 with Biology, Physics and Chemistry. The course duration is of 3-4 years. There is no dearth of attractive job opportunities for pediatric nurses. They can join Govt. run hospitals, primary health care centres, dispensaries and health projects and schemes run by government departments. Schools, Orphanages, industrial houses, railway department etc are some of the other places where plenty of job opportunities are available.
Most of the pediatric nurses keep themselves updated with latest development taking place in pediatrics department by attending conferences, workshops, and seminars. It is estimated that employment chances for pediatric nurses are going to increase rapidly. The increasing focus on childcare, increase in pediatric patients and technological advances are going to drive the demand for qualified pediatric nurses. It is a wonderful career choice for those who love to care for kids.
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