What are some action steps you could take to alleviate stress for a patient's family in our PICU?

"Having never experienced what the parents of your patients are feeling when their child is in pediatric intensive care, I can't imagine the roller coaster of emotions that they are going through. I would see my role as being an extended part of their family that is the ultimate caregiver. I would encourage parents to take walks away from the unit to eat, get some fresh air, and call family members to update them. I would continually reiterate that their child is in the best care possible. I would always be there to answer questions they may have and wouldn't hesitate to connect a new family in the unit to one that has been there for some time to talk and connect."

One of your main goals as you answer this question is to show how you can humanize the experience for families by letting them know that they are seen and valued. You want to reiterate that you would check in with them every so often and do little things like remind them where the cafeteria is. There really is nothing you can do to lessen their internal stress and grief, but you can encourage them to stick to a daily routine and take a walk away from the PICU while assuring them that their child is in the best care possible. For families that are on an extended stay, you can help encourage parents that going back to work is healthy.