Pediatric Nursing Continuing Education
With the ever changing methods of up-bringing children, changes in lifestyle habits and even more preferences of new illnesses, pediatric nurses need to keep abreast with how to handle new cases. Sticking with the nursing school bachelors of associate degree knowledge will do no more than lag you behind handling novel needs of pediatric nursing.
Continuing education (CE) is the only way a pediatric nurse will ensure they are up-to date with all advancements being developed towards the care of children. It is also a perfect way to earn contact hours needed for registered nurses licenses renewal. Earning contact hours is great if you do not want to re-sit your NCLEX-RN exam in order to renewal your RN license.
Pediatric Nursing Continuing Education Units (CEU) Directory
There are hundreds of CEUs available for pediatric nurses and it is up-to the pediatric nurse to choose the best for themselves. However, you must check whether there are state specific CE courses that your state board of nursing requires as prerequisites for nurses who want to renew their licenses. If not, the pediatric nurses can take any courses and get certificates to prove their involvement in nursing continuing education.
Below is a simplified directory of the most common CE courses that pediatric nurses can take:
Pediatric Toxicology CEUs
This is a huge bracket of pediatric nursing CEUs a nurse can choose from. Children are very prone to poisoning when trying out new things and making growth development discoveries. Mostly, poisoning is expected from ingestion and skin poisoning from harsh chemicals and other household hazards.
Nursing continuing education units in this bracket will include care and management of poisoning resulting from lead and iron poisoning, asbestos, pesticides, detergents, carbon monoxide leakage among others. Courses cover the administration of antidotes, gastric lavage and the use of activated charcoal and ipecac syrup. Examples of courses include:
- Neonatal Abstinence syndrome
- Lead and mercury poisoning
- Dog an insect bites management
CEUs on the Care For The Obese and Anorexic Children
Change in lifestyle trends and feeding habits has resulted to obesity being of high preference in the developed countries. For this reason, pediatric nurses must receive continuing education on how to deal with obese pediatric patients. Obese patients are at higher health risks of getting diabetes, heart failure, cardiac arrests and some types of cancer. The pediatric nurses are trained on how to offer health education to families of the affected children.
For the anorexic children, pediatric nurses are trained on how to deal with the psychology of anorexia. Anorexia is life threatening and nurses must effectively educate and counsel the suffering children and adolescents on such issues. Units include:
- Handling the picky eater kid
- Counseling for bullied obese kids
- Childhood Obesity and diabetes
- The vegetarian child
- Food allergies and intolerance
Pediatric Trauma Courses
Nurses receive assessment skills for pediatric trauma coma scale and score. Training is also focused on the most common forms of pediatric trauma cases expected in children and how to carryout diagnosis and treatment options. Specific units would include:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Self injury and accidents
- Seizure resultant trauma
Respiratory and Cardiac Pediatric Anomalies
This area includes the most number of pediatric CEUs. Courses range from care of patients diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus, hypoplastic left heart syndrome to pediatric congenital cardiac anomalies. Dedicated units include:
- Asthma in children
- Pulmonary and respiratory pathologies
- Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia
- Pediatric ventilator and tracheotomy emergencies
Adolescents and Development Challenges
As children grow, they tend to be outgoing, experimenting on new things and tasting the new life of freedom. Pediatrics nurses must be equipped with excellent skills to handle the tantrums of the adolescent children. Wise guidance and counseling is the key to shaping the future life of the growing adolescent. Nurses are trained on:
- Guidance on responsible dating and prevention of dating violence
- Drug and substance abuse in the youths
- HPV vaccination for cervical cancer
- Rehabilitation and behavioral change management
- Down syndrome in teens
Where to Get Pediatric Nursing Continuing Education Courses
Like many other nursing CEUs, pediatric nursing continuing education is available on numerous online agencies. However, the RN must ensure the CEUs they choose are approved and certificates are recognized by your state. You can get the above courses and many more at an affordable fee on accredited CE provider agencies.
