Who is a children nurse and what do they do? The task of a children nurse is to take on the basic care of sick children and to help the qualified paediatric nurses with their work.
What are the activities of the children nurse? Assisting the registered nurses and the doctors – basic nursing (e.g. bandaging, taking temperatures, putting on ointments and the like) – administration of prescribed medicines – providing emergency care or first aid in the case of a sudden crisis – preparing, accompanying, or transporting children for examination, or to the operating theatre – helping the children after an operation, or an injury, or, if the child is immobile due to their illness, to change their position in bed, and see to their personal hygiene; pour them drinks, and feed them if need be, change their clothes, clean their bedside tables and suchlike – maintaining a good relationship with the child – organising the children’s stay in hospital or nursing care home – in the case of small children, changing their nappies, washing, and dressing them, or helping them to get dressed, as well as ensuring their safety, supervising their activities, reading them stories, singing, teaching them rhymes and short poems and the like – getting them to go along with the principles of disinfection and sterilisation, handling biological materials (e.g. a sample of blood, forwarding it to the laboratory for examination, disposing of it safely) – washing healthcare tools and equipment – changing bedclothes. The children’s nurse may also work as a child’s (qualified) nanny in a family home.
Where is it done and under what conditions? The job is done in hospitals, sanatoria, nursing homes and similar establishments, possibly in households; shift-work and unsocial hours may be necessary.
What tools/equipment do they use? The work is done using e.g. bandages, syringes, cutlery, splints, disinfectants, and thermometers, wheel chairs.
What do you need to succeed? You need at least lower level healthcare education, a good relationship with children, understanding of how to treat them, authority, reliability, skilfulness, and patience.