The Pediatric Unit is one of the nicest units you can be in, especially if you like taking care of children.
People often wonder how nurses in the Pediatric Unit get out of their shifts alive. We all know that it is difficult to work with children, but of course, it can be very fulfilling at the end of the day.
Here are nine hilarious signs that you are a pediatric nurse:
1. You are an expert when it comes to time management.
And with expert, we mean being able to eat your lunch in less than fifteen minutes. You know that your time is very important, because you need to take care of little kids who can sometimes be very energetic even when they are sick.
2. You pray for poop.
Yes, poop. As a pediatric nurse, you even usually count urine output at 0.5cc’s increments. You pray for poop so often and even obsess about the poop’s color, consistency and amount.
3. You don’t do Blood Pressure.
Blood Pressure taking isn’t really known in the Pediatric Unit. Instead, you “measure the little patients’ muscles with hugging machines”. Sometimes, you still attempt to get a decent reading by sneaking a BP cuff onto a sleeping child, but the hugging machines work way better.
4. Tapes are your best friend.
You do everything to prevent the kids from pulling out the tubes, so you always carry around tapes. An entire roll of tape could never be enough!
Related Article: 10 Funny Signs You Are An E.R. Nurse
5. Prizes are always ready.
You are always ready to give out prizes and rewards to those who are doing well. It would seem like Christmas every day, with you giving away everything you can imagine giving—from stickers and pens to alcohol wipes and saline flushes!
6. You listen for bears and drums.
They aren’t abdominal and heart sounds but “bears” and “drums”. You see to it that they get to listen to your bears and drums first before you listen to theirs.
7. You always smile.
No matter how bad your day could get, you never fail to keep wearing a big smile on your face. Kids will see you walking around the unit, and you want to make sure that they will always see you happy to take care of them.
8. Cartoon scrubs are for you.
Although you sometimes worry about committing a fashion blunder, you still can’t help but love your cartoon scrubs as much as your little patients do. They love seeing you, because they know you are also a big fan of Disney!
9. You just can’t stop loving the kids.
You love their charm and how they look even after an IV insertion. When they behave well, you appreciate their smiles when you give them their rewards and prizes.
Like them, you believe in fairytales and miracles. You wait for them to get better as soon as possible because you want to see them run around and hear them laugh like crazy.
You love how they appreciate even the little things you give and do to them. Even after your shift, you act all goofy because you cannot get over the jokes you’ve been telling your patients just to lighten up their mood.
At the end of the day, you can say that working at the Pediatric Unit is one of the most fulfilling jobs you’ve ever had.
About the Author: Mary Elizabeth Velarmino Francisco earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree from the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Philippines. She is always happy to share her passion for writing and blogging. With coffee running through her veins, she enthusiastically battles each day, one article at a time.
