Pediatric nursing
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Health care professionals experience grief when caring for children with life-threatening conditions. Harriet Lane Compassionate Care, the pediatric palliative care program of the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, created an action plan to support health care professionals; one intervention-- the bereavement debriefing session - was specifically aimed at providing emotional support and increasing one's ability to manage grief. A structured format for conducting bereavement debriefing sessions was developed, and 113 sessions were held in a three-year period; data were collected to capture themes discussed. ⋯ Though attendance included all disciplines, nurses attended the sessions most often. Self-report evaluation forms revealed that health care professionals found the sessions helpful. Bereavement debriefing sessions can be one aspect of an effective approach to supporting health care professionals in managing their grief in caring for children with life-threatening conditions.
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The Pediatric Nursing Certification Board surveyed a national sample of 1354 hospital-based certified pediatric nurses (CPNs) to determine their perceptions of certification on job satisfaction and other factors. There is a substantial body of literature that demonstrates job satisfaction among nurses positively increases retention and reduces absenteeism and burnout. ⋯ The certified nurse survey respondents had self-reported high levels of job satisfaction and indicated that relationships with colleagues and a supportive work environment were very important to their levels of job satisfaction. The results of this study highlight important factors for hospitals to consider as they plan strategies and cost-effective ways to positively affect patient care and retain qualified pediatric nurses at the bedside.