Pediatric Nurse vs Orthopedic Nurse

You’ve heard about orthopedic nurses and pediatric nurses. Is the ‘pedia’ in both confusing you? There are many differences between these two terms. Let’s take a look at the differences:

• The basics first. An orthopedic nurse basically handles patients who are recovering from surgeries or injuries of the muscular system. They may take care of patients suffering from arthroscopy, hip or knee replacements. Other conditions that need to be taken care of include bone deformities, fractures, bone infections, cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

  A pediatric nurse is a person who takes care of infants, children or teenagers. She may take care of these patients under a variety of conditions. A pediatric nurse needs to be more compassionate and understanding. Since she is taking care of kids, she will understand the importance     of  returning these kids home as fast as possible.

• Since they belong to different areas of expertise, their work profile also varies. An orthopedic nurse may monitor splint or case care, traction or other equipment used for orthopedic care.

  A pediatric nurse performs specialized care that is concentrated on infants and children. She encourages active participation by the parents and other members of the family in taking care of the infants. She chalks up plans that are meant to tackle the different growth patterns of children. A Pediatric nurse works under a variety of conditions and clinics. She may work at a well baby clinic, or even a specialty clinic that s meant to provide care to children with special needs. She may be trained in tackling traumatic and metabolic problems of kids. She helps doctors with inpatient consultations, emergency room admissions and clinic referrals.

• An orthopedic nurse generally possesses an associate degree in nursing or a degree like Bachelor of Science in nursing. She may even specialize in acute care. She may be getting a starting salary of around $19 per hour.

  A pediatric nurse generally has an associate’s degree in nursing. She may well launch her career at around $19.5 an hour.

There is also a specialty field called pediatric orthopedics. This focuses on muscular-skeletal problems associated with kids. This field has seen a fast growth in recent times.

Summary:

1. Orthopedic nurses tackle problems that relate to the adult muscular skeletal system. The conditions may range anywhere between muscular damage and bone surgeries. An orthopedic nurse not only takes care of patients recovering from these disorders, she also actively monitors orthopedic instruments that are used.
2. A pediatric nurse takes care of infants under any condition.
3. The training and qualifications of an orthopedic nurse are different from those of a pediatric nurse.
4. Since the level of specialty and care required for the two fields are so radically different from each other, they draw different salaries on an hourly basis.

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