2 answers
Sara
Student
Kerrville, Texas
6
Questions
Asked
615 views
Is it difficult to work with children?
#pediatrician #pediatrics #children
Login to comment
2 answers
Joanne Rucker
Pediatric/Adolescent Registered Nurse & Certified Lactation Educator
2
Answers
Berkeley, California
Updated
Joanne’s Answer
Hello,
Yes, it can be difficult to “work with children”, but I believe that is okey. Being part of a team striving to help children be healthy physically and mentally is the best work I could have found for myself. Being a Pediatric RN for many years has been a huge part of my life, an important part of my identity...sort of a ‘calling’ I think.
Any difficulty I find doing this gratifying and meaningful work is not a negative. How good I feel helping make children’s lives better, is what matters.
Does it come naturally doing this work? I have wondered over the years that maybe it does....
Finally, what I do know is one has to love the innocence, the spontaneity, and the wonderment of childhood, and also be willing to be challenged by their struggles, families, and needs.
Good luck to you!
Yes, it can be difficult to “work with children”, but I believe that is okey. Being part of a team striving to help children be healthy physically and mentally is the best work I could have found for myself. Being a Pediatric RN for many years has been a huge part of my life, an important part of my identity...sort of a ‘calling’ I think.
Any difficulty I find doing this gratifying and meaningful work is not a negative. How good I feel helping make children’s lives better, is what matters.
Does it come naturally doing this work? I have wondered over the years that maybe it does....
Finally, what I do know is one has to love the innocence, the spontaneity, and the wonderment of childhood, and also be willing to be challenged by their struggles, families, and needs.
Good luck to you!
Cathleen Shannon MSN, CPNP
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Montgomery County Public Schools School-Based Health and Wellness Center
9
Answers
Updated
Cathleen’s Answer
I would recommend "hanging out" with children to see if it would be a good fit. Be a camp counselor, babysit, or volunteering with a youth sports team are all good ways to see if you like being around children. Some people do not and that is perfectly OK! But...you need to enjoy being around children in pediatrics because often you see them at their worst so you need to have a sense of empathy for the child you are seeing even if they are acting out. Sometimes pediatrics is hard because of the parents (noncooperative, demanding, demeaning) but at the end of the day, if you love being with kids, you can accept that it is part of the package deal.