Day in the Life of a Pediatric Nurse

Lifestyle

When I decided to start this blog, I knew that I wanted to focus on my love for fashion and how to look good on a working girls budget. I have so enjoyed sharing this passion with all of my friends and dedicated readers, but I think that it is important to note that there is something else in my life that I am far more passionate about, my job. For those of who do not know me personally, I work full-time as a pediatric trauma/surgery nurse. Many more of you probably don’t know that this is Pediatric Nurses Week. As I sat down to write another blog post about weekend sales, I felt a little guilty about not paying tribute to the amazing children and families that I work with each day. Also, I cannot forget to mention the other superheroes, who I get to call my co-workers.

A Day in the Life of a Pediatric Nurse

The most frequently asked question by my non-nurse friends and family is “How was your day?”. To be completely honest, I have never answered this question truthfully and here is why

I could tell you about all the children that I made smile today, but also which ones I made cry.

I could say that my day was great because my patient found out they didn’t have cancer. But there was also one that did.

I could tell you that my child suffering a brain injury finally was able to eat for the first time in weeks. I could also tell you that there was a child who was on their way to surgery to get a feeding tube inserted in their stomach, because they would never be able to swallow again.

I could tell you my teenage patient who was burned from the waist down got out of bed and walked today. I could also tell you that down the hall, there was a child finding out that they were going to need an amputation.

I could tell you about how I spent the day coloring with a school age child. How there were teddy-bears that needed their heart auscultated. I could tell you the games I had play to get my patient to take their medicine.

I could tell you that I taught the mother of a child in a motor vehicle accident how to be a nurse to her son when they got home, a skill she never planned to learn.

I could tell you about how many stories I told to make a child laugh, how many tears I wiped away, and how many tears I cried with them.

I could tell you how my heart breaks when a parent shows me a photo of their child riding a bike, before their traumatic spinal cord injury took away their ability to use their legs.

I could tell you about how I held a baby all day, while their parents went to work so they could support their family. I could also tell you about the baby with bruising and broken limbs that I held all day because they don’t have a family to go home to.

I could tell you about how I spent the day fighting for my patient. I could also tell you about the family that fought me.

I could tell you about how many orders I questioned, how many phone calls I made, and how many times I thought “Is this ever going to be enough?”.

I could tell you about how many times I found a co-worker crying in the med room because she was trying prioritize what patient needed her more that day. Or how many times we are forced to choose which child needs us the most, and how we are going to explain that to the child we have to ‘ignore’ for an hour.

I could tell you about the baby that stopped breathing on my shift, that I helped bring her to the ICU, and I watched the ICU doctor tell the parent that she wasn’t going to make it.

I could tell you about how I helped a parent find hope in their day. I could also tell you that there was a parent looking for guidance and I didn’t know what to say.

I could tell you about how my co-workers work together to support each other during a crisis, and how smoothly our day went in the midst of chaos.

I could tell you how I questioned how I would make it through the day. I could tell you I spent all day being strong for my patient, and that I got into my car that night and cried because I had no strength left.

I could tell you that the bravest person I know is an 8-year old girl who has spent most of her life in the hospital. I could tell you the happiest person I know is a 4 year old boy with a medical history that is longer than your weekly grocery list. I could tell you about the 10 year old boy who taught me a life lesson I will never forget. I could tell you that through all the laughter, tears, smiles, and struggles, I get up and go to work the next day because these kids need me as much as I need them.

At the end of the day, being a pediatric nurse is one of the most rewarding, exhausting, inspiring thing I have ever chosen to do in my life. These children have taught me to be resilient with whatever path life chooses to take you. I can only hope that one day I am as brave as that 8-year old girl, and as a happy as that 4-year old boy. Each day I am thankful for every child that I get to meet, and for every nurse I encounter on my unit. I am so lucky to be able to work with some of the most compassionate, dedicated, empathetic, and hard-working nurses. These nurses put their patients needs before their own. They empower me. They inspire me. They are superheroes.

So the next time someone asks me “How was your day?”. I still probably won’t be truthful, I will probably say “It was fine”. Just know that the description of my work day will most likely be beyond words.