Popsicles for Pediatric Patients
This nurse spends her days in the pediatric PACU handing out popsicles and stickers to patients
Welcome to Nurse Ascent, a twice-weekly newsletter created by nurses for nurses. This week, one nurse shares her journey working in pediatric medicine and choosing to transfer to PACU for work-life balance. Plus, we’re tracking major headlines—from a looming nurse strike in New York City to federal changes to the childhood vaccine schedule that physicians and leading medical groups have strongly criticized as risking confusion and weakening protections against preventable disease.
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Nurse Spotlight: Rebecca Vincent RN, BSN
What I do for work
I am a pediatric nurse working in the PACU. In my 7 years of nursing, I’ve worked in many different specialties including multiple medical-surgical units, different ICUs and now the pediatric PACU. I’ve always seen myself becoming a pediatric nurse and am happy to have found this PACU where I can do my job during the weekdays and focus on my personal life and health more in my off-time.
How I got here
As a new grad, I started with a couple years as a medical-surgical nurse, first at the hospital in my hometown before moving to another city and working at a large level one trauma center. There I transferred to working in the adult surgical trauma ICU. During that time, I met my now husband and moved states where I decided to make the move into pediatrics, first in the pediatric ICU before my job now in… looking for better work life balance and more easier available to get out of night shift and focus on my life and health outside of nursing. I wanted a more structured schedule, less weekends so I could spend more time with my husband, my dog and our friends.
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More on Rebecca
A day in my life
Right now I work 4 ten-hour shifts. When I get to work I’m taking care of kids coming out of anesthesia after surgery. On top of taking care of them medically and ensuring they’re stable, I hand out popsicles, stickers and stuffed animals to help them transition out of surgery. After work I come home and walk my dog before my husband comes home and we have dinner together.
My self-care routine
Every day my husband and I start the day by walking the dog, drinking a cup of warm water to get our digestion going, and we talk about our plans for the day. In the evenings after work, we’ll have dinner together and have been focusing on our health and wellness more by ending the day doing stretching in our home gym where we work out during the day.
Headlines in Healthcare
NYC Nurses strike threat narrows, but a major walkout is still on the table
According to amNewYork, nurses at five “safety net” hospitals in Brooklyn and Staten Island have pulled back their strike notices after reaching tentative agreements, but ~16,700–17,000 nurses at seven other NYC hospitals could still strike as early as Jan. 12 if negotiations stall (with staffing, workplace violence protections, wages, and benefits as key issues).
U.S. sharply scales back the routine childhood vaccine schedule
The federal government has immediately reduced the list of vaccines recommended for all children—shifting several (including flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A/B, some meningitis vaccines, and RSV) to risk-based or “shared decision-making” recommendations. Medical groups warned the change could increase confusion and risk of preventable disease.
Kentucky’s shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners leaves wide gaps in care
According to the Kentucky Lantern, a December legislative report found that most Kentucky counties lack a SANE-ready hospital, with rural areas facing the biggest gaps. The report highlights barriers like training access, cost/time burden, and burnout—and recommends steps like incentives/job codes, more accessible training, and potentially a statewide SANE coordinator to improve coverage and coordination.
Meet the author:
Katie Scoggins
(RN, BSN & Health Writer)
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