Pediatric nursing is a unique specialty all of its own. You need to take on the challenge of treating sick and often apprehensive children while also managing stressed-to-the-max and overprotective parents. It can be a challenging but also wildly rewarding job if it’s the right fit for you.
As you embark on your career working with children ranging in age from newborns to adolescents, having the right tools can make your job much easier—especially as you’re working with younger children. Let’s take a look at five products you should consider investing in as a pediatric nurse to win over the kids and their parents.
1. Fun Scrubs
Some employers may have strict uniform policies, requiring nurses to purchase a specific color of scrubs. In some cases, however, pediatric nurses have the ability to choose “fun” scrubs that kids will love.
Fun scrubs can come covered in prints featuring dinosaurs, farm animals, spaceships, and even popular cartoon characters from Disney or Pixar.
Not only do they give you, as a nurse, an easy conversation starter for young kids, but they also can help you seem much less intimidating to scared children. The more at ease the patient feels, the more they’ll trust you and the easier it will be to help treat them.
2. Stethoscope Tags & Covers
There’s no denying that medical interventions can be terrifying for children: The interventions are scary; they’re new, and the children likely already aren’t feeling well. The medical equipment that comes at them can make children even more nervous, and that anxiety means that they may have trouble cooperating for even basic steps in the process—including having their vitals taken.
Stethoscope tags and covers are an easy way to make the initial check-in a little more fun. When you go in to listen, instead of seeing a terrifying stethoscope, they’ll see a nurse approaching them with a stuffed dinosaur, which will help you listen to their lungs and heart.
When choosing stethoscope covers, make sure you purchase a few extra. If you examine a child who may have a contagious disease, you’ll want to take the cover off, sanitize the stethoscope, and replace the cover with a clean one. Look for those that come in bulk and that are machine washable, and always have a few available in your bag.
3. Pediatric Pulse Oximeters
Pulse oximeters are another great example of basic medical equipment that can seem frightening to young kids, and if the kids are spooked, they may not cooperate long enough for you to get a good reading.
This pediatric pulse oximeter can help with that. Kids can be amused by the bright green, frog-shaped oximeter that smiles up at them, distracting them from any potential beeping. Anything that’s kid-friendly can make an initial exam more fun, helping to put the child at ease.
4. Animal Pen Light Attachments
Need to get young patients to focus on the penlight? You can’t go wrong with a pediatric penlight that comes in the shape of a tiger, dog, sloth, or specific popular characters like those from Paw Patrol.
These lights are typically flashlight keychains that you can attach to your nametag, popping them off easily for an exam. Asking young children to “watch the teddy bear” may be more effective than getting them to track the light, especially for toddlers and younger kids who may not quite have the ability to understand what you’re asking them to do.
Plus, it doesn’t hurt that walking into a room with another fun animal attached to your name tag or stethoscope makes you appear more approachable to kids. It’s one more way to help them feel comfortable.
5. A Good Pair of Easy-to-Clean Shoes
All nurses need a great pair of comfortable, slip-resistant, and easy-to-clean shoes. You’re going to be on your feet all day, whether you work at a pediatrician’s office or a children’s hospital, and you need good shoes to reduce foot, leg, and back pain.
And when it comes to pediatric nurses, “easy to clean” is important, as young kids are less likely to control vomiting, urinating, or pooping compared to older children or adults—even on a good day. Keeping a spare pair of scrubs and shoes at work in case they are needed is always a good call, and choosing a comfortable and easily machine-washable pair of shoes is the way to go.
Want to add a little more fun to your outfit—whether you can choose your own fun scrubs or not? You can step it up and find printed shoes that kids will love for that extra special touch.
Final Thoughts on Things to Buy as a Pediatric Nurse
Pediatric nursing is one of the higher-paid nursing specialties, especially if you branch out into niche fields like working in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) or pediatric operating room (OR). It’s a responsibility that we know nurses take seriously, as caring for young children can be particularly difficult and comes with its own set of challenges. However, having the right tools can make each day a little easier for you, the patients, and their parents, which is a win-win all the way around.
