Nursing Careers: Compassionate Care Through Nursery Nursing

            
             In the field of nursing, there are many specialties.  But few specialties require the special care of a nursery nurse.  Nursery nurses can work in a variety of settings and have a variety of responsibilities. In the United Kingdom, a nursery nurse is someone who cares for very young children in a school or home 

environment.  While some are actual medical professionals, many receive training focused on child development and infant care.  But in the United States, we think of nursery nursing as the job of a pediatric nurse in a hospital setting. 

            A pediatric nurse is a registered nurse who specializes in working with children of all ages.  One job of a pediatric nurse is to work in the nursery caring for newborns.  In addition, pediatric nurses also work with infants who are premature or in ill health that are in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). 

            Pediatric nurses can also work in children’s hospitals caring for older children as well as working for private pediatric offices.  The pediatric nurse can care for a child that is a newborn until they reach adolescence.

            To become a pediatric nurse, you’ll first need to earn the title of Registered Nurse.  Once you’re an RN, you can work in a setting that caters to clients who are children.  Many hospitals and clinics offer internships and training programs in pediatric nursing. 

These are designed to help you understand the special issues that you may face when working with children and their families.  You can also take courses with your local college or university that explore the special needs of children in the healthcare system. 

You’ll want to take extra coursework in child and adolescent development as well as child and adolescent psychology.  Gaining more knowledge and experience are key in becoming a successful pediatric nurse.

            Many people enjoy working with children, but it’s important to remember that you’ll also be working with the people who care for those children.  It’s critical that you learn to help treat children while keeping parents and other caregivers informed and comforted.

            If you like the idea of working with children in the medical setting, you may want to consider a career in pediatric nursing.  In order to explore the career further, you might want to volunteer in a children’s hospital or shadow a pediatric nurse to get first hand knowledge of the responsibilities and work they perform.

 

Greg Cryns is the owner of Nursing Programs Online, http://www.nursingprogramsonline.com .
The website explores online and offline nursing schools, nursing jobs and nursing careers.