Competencies of Nurses in Pediatrics Proposal

It is evident that the healthcare industry defines the quality of human lives in terms of health conditions. As a result, it is vital to seek professional candidates for positions in this sphere, especially in pediatrics, so that people are provided with good treatment. Therefore, the competencies and practical skills crucial for pediatrics require investigation. Consequently, the theoretical findings regarding this topic are prominent for the advancement of the healthcare industry worldwide.

It is crucial for pediatricians to be capable of working under tension in urgent emergencies that might be followed by negative consequences. However, according to Vazinari et al. (2000), the nurses in pediatrics are usually disturbed by death and dying issues for four years since the beginning of the training. Therefore, when the pediatricians attempt to predict the possible death of a patient, it results in anxiety and eventually awful performance on the work. On the contrary, Block and Billings (2005) state that the elimination of the fear of such repercussions purely depends on professional and personal experience. In other words, pediatricians start feeling prepared regarding these parts of their work after experiencing numerous negative aspects of the medical industry.

Furthermore, nurses need to prove their commitment to the patients’ care. Pediatrics is the medical department that requires considerable effort to treat children as they are often afraid of the whole process (Brotanek et al., 2008). Thus, nurses must also possess skills crucial for comforting patients to proceed with further treatment (Rieman & Gordon, 2007). Nurses’ skills are highly valuable for general patient-centered and family-focused care in terms of identifying psychological and biological factors that impact patients’ mental health.

Unquestionably, nurses in pediatrics should be competent in medicine to provide patients with high-quality care. In other words, pediatricians are to be proficient in body anatomy, immunity principles, nutrition and feeding, and acute care doctrines (Garfunkel et al., 2005). The knowledge is the tool that pediatricians should recognize how to apply in their practice with the benefits for their patients (Garfunkel et al., 2005). Otherwise, children might suffer due to the wrong diagnosis and treatment of the diseases and disorders. In addition, improper care methods might lead to tragic repercussions, such as illness intensification or even death.

Another critical skill for nurses in pediatrics is effective communication with the patients’ families. For instance, in such urgent situations, children’s parents tend to be anxious and disturbed that sometimes results in their irritation (Mărginean et al., 2017). Consequently, nurses might be the ones to experience their discomfort and, therefore, must understand how to cope with it. Mărginean et al. (2017) believe that pediatricians are to learn effective communication methods to avert negative encounters with patients and their families. Furthermore, such a skill is valuable in finding approaches for children to decrease their tension and impatience during the treatment.

Overall, nurses in pediatrics need to acquire crucial skills that would serve as a tool for providing patients with high-quality treatment. Pediatricians must be competent in the medical sphere to be capable of identifying diagnoses and the proper treatment eventually. Furthermore, it is vital for nurses to learn how to work under pressure in urgent cases so that they can efficiently communicate with patients’ families to reduce their stress. In addition, pediatricians must be capable of finding approaches to contribute to children’s comfort to treat them suitably. The professionals with mentioned skills are valuable for the widespread advancement of the healthcare industry.

References

Block, S. D., & Billings, J. A. (2005). Learning from the dying. The New England journal of medicine, 353(13), 1313.

Brotanek, J. M., Seeley, C. E., & Flores, G. (2008). The importance of cultural competency in general pediatrics. Current opinion in pediatrics, 20(6), 711-718.

Garfunkel, L. C., Sidelinger, D. E., Rezet, B., Blaschke, G. S., & Risko, W. (2005). Achieving consensus on competency in community pediatrics. Pediatrics, 115(Supplement 3), 1167-1171.

Mărginean, C. O., Meliţ, L. E., Chinceşan, M., Mureşan, S., Georgescu, A. M., Suciu, N.,… & Azamfirei, L. (2017). Communication skills in pediatrics–the relationship between pediatrician and child. Medicine, 96(43).

Rieman, M. T., & Gordon, M. (2007). Pain management competency evidenced by a survey of pediatric nurses’ knowledge and attitudes. Pediatric nursing, 33(4).

Vazirani, R. M., Slavin, S. J., & Feldman, J. D. (2000). A longitudinal study of pediatric house officers’ attitudes toward death and dying. Critical care medicine, 28(11), 3740-3745.