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Patient Observation Paper

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On the 26th of May, I had the opportunity to observe a nurse working on the pediatric unit at the Sanford hospital. While there, I learned that patients come in all sorts of sizes, ages, and developmental levels. I also learned that families can be a true member of the care team, and also be more than just company for the patient. The biggest surprise was that all the cares and skills needed for working with adults could be altered just a tiny bit to fit the needs of smaller patients.
2. Patients I came into contact with several different children ranging in ages from a few weeks to young adult. The infant was being treated for Strep B. Two preschoolers were there, one being treated for lymphangitis, the other was being treated for a staph infection on his abdomen and legs. The school-aged child I saw was being treated for a paralytic ileus that was a result from surgery to remove her gallbladder. The teenager that I worked with was suffering from a brain injury caused by encephalitis. There were quite a few things that were different in the hospital concerning child development as compared to a clinic setting. The biggest one I noticed right away was the size of everything. Everything was smaller to match the size of the patient; the beds, pillows, some of the IV poles, …show more content…
Instead of telling the patient that the nurse needed to listen to their heart and lung sounds, the nurse asked where would a good place be to listen to them. Instead of beginning the assessment at the head and working down, the nurse started with hands and feet and worked closer to the child’s face as the child accepted the interaction. When painful procedures had to be done, instead of doing them at the bedside, the child was taken to a special room that had different distractions available to help minimize the trauma from the

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