Kids crying/screaming, how bad is it?

[surftheiop]

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I've heard "being around crying/screaming kids" often mentioned as a reason to avoid Peds.

Is it really that bad, are kids really crying/screaming pretty much every time your around them?

(I volunteer in a children's hospital and the kids seem to be pretty upbeat for the most part, but I have never really seen how they act around MD's or come procedure time)

Do you get used to being around kids crying/screaming?

 

[J-Rad]

No. A small portion of the time, in fact.

Yes. You also learn tricks to minimize the amount of crying or screaming that is a reaction to you.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

Yes. You also learn tricks to minimize the amount of crying or screaming that is a reaction to you.

Such as a 3.5 ETT 😛

Generally loud crying in a NICU is a sign of a baby that no longer needs to be there.

 

[surftheiop]

Thanks for the insights, I figured this was probably the case, I guess people who don't like a given specialty tend to really over exaggerate things when they are talking about it.

 

[edmadison]

Such as a 3.5 ETT 😛

Generally loud crying in a NICU is a sign of a baby that no longer needs to be there.

Or in my world 2/kg of propofol.

Ed

 

[blanche]

Such as a 3.5 ETT 😛

Generally loud crying in a NICU is a sign of a baby that no longer needs to be there.

haha....so true! i loved it when in the NICU, and typically quiet rounds were interrupted by the foreign sound of a loud, crying baby. sometimes we'd all look at each other confused, and inevitably someone would ask 'who is THAT?'

 

[Stitch]

Or in my world 2/kg of propofol.

Ed

👍

I generally tell the med students that if the kid isn't crying when they come out of the room, they likely didn't do a good job examining the child. It's always the ears that gets you, so save it for the end.

Some people are terrified of a crying child. I never really have been, though oddly I hate taking an adult history. Some children will get upset with you, but some will just love you. You learn the tricks as you go and it's certainly not all screaming and crying.

 

[J-Rad]

Such as a 3.5 ETT 😛

Generally loud crying in a NICU is a sign of a baby that no longer needs to be there.

We had a baby get old enough that he was playing with stuff in the crib. That was definitely someone who needed to go.

Or in my world 2/kg of propofol.

Ed

I just usually give them the magic "I'm-a-Daddy-Stinkeye" and then they shut up.

👍
...though oddly I hate taking an adult history. Some children will get upset with you, but some will just love you.

History I can deal with. Try looking through the 36 year old's stack o' charts preparing for their cath case!

 

[oldbearprofessor]

On a more serious note, things have changed a lot since I started my pedi rotation as a med student about 30 years ago. We do a much better job of pain relief post-op for example, have developed skills such as using sugar water pacifiers for babies during IV starts and have much larger teams of people who provide attention and supportive care to kids who are hospitalized. We have better local anesthesia we use for some procedures, etc.

So, whereas coming to the hospital and having procedures done will always lead to some tears, I think we see much less endless crying than we used to see.

Now, I once worked at a hospital where the on-call room for the neo team was right next to the normal newborn nursery. Ouch. That was training in sleeping through screaming....

 

[surftheiop]

On a more serious note, things have changed a lot since I started my pedi rotation as a med student about 30 years ago. We do a much better job of pain relief post-op for example, have developed skills such as using sugar water pacifiers for babies during IV starts and have much larger teams of people who provide attention and supportive care to kids who are hospitalized. We have better local anesthesia we use for some procedures, etc.

Thats good to hear, after taking a couple of undergrad psychology classes the idea of going to pretty long lengths to reduce stress/pain/distress during childhood has seemed really important to me. Its amazing the impact early experiences can have all the way into adulthood.

I wonder if negative early experiences are partially to blame for why adults seem so likely to avoid medical care and/or be non-compliant.