Pediatric Emergency Department

Emily Marino
Kayleigh Priebe
10/31/2020

Objective 1: Identify the role of the nurse

The role of the nurse in the emergency department is to give the most efficient, effective

care to children from infancy to 21 years old. For the first portion of my experience, I observed

the fast track which receives children who have less threatening conditions and can be treated

more quickly. It is this nurse’s job to provide the care needed to the child and family and release

them as soon as possible. This allows other nurses to focus on the more serious and demanding

patients, while keeping the number of patients at a minimum. Overall, the nurses in the ED must

critically think, use therapeutic communication, educate the family and provide support.

Objective 2: Discuss the methods of communication with child and family

Within the realm of the fast track, the nurse would introduce themselves, discuss the

reason for coming in and perform a detailed assessment. Then, the nurse would document and

communicate with the physician. After the physician completed their own assessment, the nurse

would explain the treatment that was prescribed, perform the task and discharge the patient. In

the trauma rooms, the communication with family is very different. The communication is brief

and quick, as they are performing life-saving measures. A family support employee is able to

stay with the family during this time to provide basic education and support.

Objective 3: Identify the differences between the needs of the child and adult

The needs of the child are acute and physical. The nurse must tend to the physical

complaint and provide treatment to return the child to baseline. Also, play and distraction therapy

can be used for children who are in pain or afraid. The parent requires more education, support

and explanation. Parents are the ones who are following up on the care that the child is receiving.
Objective 4: Recognize the triage system for a child admitted to the ER

In the ER, the triage system exists to prioritize the patients. The emergency department

uses a scale to quickly identify the severity of the illness or complaint and where to appropriately

place them. Triage is the first step in the management of a sick child admitted to a hospital. The

nurse in the triage area will prioritize patient care, take vital signs, assess patient status, review

medical history and closely monitor their condition. In the ER, this step is crucial. Without

triage, every patient would wait in line, disregarding their condition.

Summary of Clinical Day

Overall, I had an amazing experience in the ED. Firstly, I was given a tour of all of the different

areas of the emergency department. The reason that Akron’s Children’s has so many different

areas of the ED is to prioritize, increase efficiency and decrease overcrowding. I was able to

observe my nurse in the fast track. Within this unit, the child and family are seen very quickly.

The priority within the fast track is to assess and treat patients who are the less ill. Then, they can

be discharged more quickly without using as many resources. A focused assessment was

performed by both the nurse and physician. Then, the treatment was prescribed, education was

provided, and the patient was discharged. For the later portion of my clinical, I was able to

observe two traumas. The first trauma was related to a baby that had a history of apnea due to a

congenital heart defect. The mother was present in the trauma room with the baby while the

trauma team insert an NG tube. Once the infant’s SPO2 dropped again, the mom was asked to

leave in order for the team to perform an intubation. The second trauma was of a 13-year old

male who had a scalp laceration from a zip-lining accident. Within this trauma, I observed the

different roles of the nurses and how well they prioritized the care. Also, I was able to view the

stitching of the laceration. This clinical experience was greatly informational and very thrilling.