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Slide 1: Pediatric Nursing - What Does It Involve? Registered nurses and nurses sometimes take specialized courses in certain fields of interest. Nurses who have opted for additional study in the field of pediatrics are known as Pediatric nurse practitioner or pediatric practitioner. The specialization in pediatrics may take up to a year of study and clinical practice, post which these nurses can work on demanding and critically sensitive roles in health care. Here is a brief snapshot of the roles and responsibilities of a nurse who does pediatric nursing: -They can perform physical examination and also administer treatment for certain injuries to patients. Lab tests, x-ray reports and blood samples can also be ordered by these nurses. Additionally, they are also trained to provide immunizations to infants who need doses. -An important aspect of the services provided by the pediatric practitioner is that they help in counseling and provide support to the families of the patient. They educate the families of the patient and the patient about the illness and the road to recovery. -Treating a child is not an easy task at all, as the kid needs to be taken into confidence about the treatment measures. These nurses provide the necessary healthcare aid to the kids, but also speak to them and present the positive aspects of the treatment provided to the kid. Pediatric nursing is a specialized aspect of nursing, which can be done only if registered nurses are able to complete a course in pediatrics. They would still need to follow all the basic practices of a registered nurse, with the only difference that the pressure in this work role, is on the higher side. Interacting with the kids and their families constantly, while delivering health care treatment to the kid is a challenging proposition. On some occasions, these nurses may have to speak to other doctors, physicians and specifically, pediatric physicians. A detailed report on the treatment provided to the kid has to be delivered to the doctors, which will help them decide on the complete course of treatment. They would also need to interpret results from pathology labs, which will help them determine the progress of the kid's health. Basically, pediatric nursing takes care of treatment provided to kids and infants, which needs specialized skills. LPN to RN