By: Amanda Sauceda
This past week I had the opportunity to spend my days in the hospital’s pediatric floor. After my first day there I realized how much I love working with kids. (It didn’t hurt that whenever I wanted to find a patient’s chart it was always there!) Assessments for pediatrics are a bit different than adults. Sometimes your patient can’t always talk! That might be because they are too young and still a baby or they might be old enough but scared because they are in the hospital. Most often you will find the parents or some family member in the room with the patient. Those will be the people along with the nurse who will tell you how the patient is eating and if they are tolerating their diet.
There are different diagnoses you see when in pediatrics compared to the adult population and there are different types of feedings like the wide variety of formulas. Even the surroundings are a bit different. The walls had colorful drawings on them, almost all the nurses had some type of cartoon character on their scrubs and of course there is the playroom. After this week I am really looking forward to my specialty rotation that I have at a nearby children’s hospital. At that hospital I’ll be able to see more high-risk patients and get an even better idea about what a pediatric RD does. Has anyone else done a rotation or interested in pediatrics?
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Alexandra Briceno. I am currently a Dietetic Intern at New York Presbyterian Hospital. I haven't had my Pediatric rotation yet, but I have always been interested in PEDS and Obstetrics.
Although I haven't had my rotation in PEDS, I volunteered at Miami Children's Hospital for a year and it was a great experience. I loved the environment, the children, and all the different ways we put a smile on those kids who truly need it.
If you're interested in this area, I encourage you to become a member of ADA's Pediatric Dietetic Practice Group and look for Pediatric Interest Groups within your local dietetic association. Do you have any suggestions and/or advice for me prior to beginning my PEDS rotation?
Thanks for sharing your experience! All the best.
Alex Briceno
Hi Alexandra!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting. I didn't think that I was going to like PEDS as much as I did. I agree with you about the environment its so different but that what makes it so special and seeing the kids smile is the best. I just started looking into the PEDS DPG, thanks for the tip.
To get ready for you rotation I would check and see what types of patients are popular there and review what that disease state might be and the recommendations. For example I know there are a lot of patients with cystic fibrosis at my next rotation site so I plan on looking over what that is and how to assess for it. Hope that helps!
Amanda