Nurses are known for being able to stay calm under pressure; but being a pediatric nurse requires additional patience. In addition to meeting the physical needs of their patients, pediatric nurses must also educate parents while keeping even the youngest of patients calm during sometimes-painful procedures. Venipuncture can be very distressing for children, and pediatric nurses must ensure that both child and parent feel safe, and that the patient experiences as little pain as possible.
Providing health care services for children can be very rewarding; but an anxious child can make the job tougher. One thing that can help nurses calm a child’s anxiety is to remember that children often fear the unknown, yet they can accept many things once explained. One of the best ways to handle a scary procedure is for both the nurse and the parent to explain to the child what will happen using child-friendly terms.
When a child is sick or hurt, parents can understandably become very analytical. While asking questions is an important way to protect their child, it can be challenging to have a parent questioning everything a nurse does. According to Hudson Valley Parent, many parents may be anxious and unaware of how to prepare their child for venipuncture. It can be helpful to explain each step of the process, keeping the parent informed.
Certain procedures can be more difficult to perform on children due to their small size. For example, when performing venipuncture it can be challenging to find a good place to stick since children have smaller veins. Add in the fact that children are squirmier than adults, and a nurse can spend many minutes just trying to find a decent vein. Fortunately, there are several ways to make venipuncture easier with young children. Using a vein illumination system can help a nurse to quickly locate a young child’s veins while also serving as a way to provide distraction. Most children will be excited to see how this process works and will often sit still during a procedure.
