Presbyterian St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing - Alpha Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

Page 26 text:

Pediatric nursing is an area which requires a great deal of patience and understanding. Here we learn the art of caring for a child during a hospitalization. We also learn the disease condi- tions that are special to children. Regardless of whether he has been admitted for a series of diag- nostic tests, an accident that occurred at home or open heart surgery, each child is special special because he has been separated from his parents and cannot understand why. He may feel deserted, fearful of what may happen to him during the hospitalization. It is during these times that we as nurses learn to give both the child and the parents our support. This is the time when we may be able to help bridge the gap of separation from home. It is important to help the child overcome hurdles of the hospitalization. This is done by careful ex- planation of each procedure - whether it be the reasons for an I.V., an injection, a blood test, or why he must still drink his milk. We administer large doses of tender loving care each day from the time of admission until he is discharged home. I want to go tiome!! Pediatric instructors May Chin and Marilyn Wendell explain admission procedure to new students