"I can actually think of several occasions that I had to handle a situation with a distraught family member. Dealing with pediatric patients, especially, requires patience and sometimes I think nurses feel like we are caring for more than one patient. Not because the family requires medical care, but emotional care. In all of those instances, I try to make sure I offer sympathy and take time to explain diagnosis, tests, and procedures in a way that the loved one can understand. Being able to understand what is going on with their child helps parents to deal with the situation."

Pediatric nursing requires not only dealing with a patient, but the family members who are responsible for the child. Being able to identify stressors that may affect a family member is important for a nurse in this specialty. The interviewer wants to know that you are capable of addressing the needs of the family member as well as the patient and that you understand why that skill is important for a pediatric nurse.

"One thing about pediatric nursing is, the patient is not always the only 'patient,' so to speak. I have learned that being a good pediatric nurse also means being able to communicate with family members who are unsure of what to expect or who don't quite understand a diagnosis takes a great deal of stress off of them. When parents or other family who are with a pediatric patient are calm, it often makes the patient calmer and easier to care for."