Kids in need/Nursing?

I am working on a nursing degree and I really want to be a nurse but I have a strong conviction to work with kids who are abused or missing. Does anyonw know of any careers that might incorperate both these passions of mine?

If you want to work with abused children (both physical and sexual abuse) and kids with significant needs, get a position in a short-term pediatric psychatric unit. You will find that almost all of the patients have been victims of physical abuse or neglect, have been sexually abused by their parents or their parent's current or former boy or girlfriends, and that the parent used drugs and alcohol, and often the children were exposed to and may have been given drugs and alcohol (often just to keep them quiet). There will also be several kids who have run away and are wards of the courts, and almost all have been taken by Child Protective Services. Or you can work with adolescents who have addiction problems at a psychiatric or rehab facility, most of them were sexually or physically abused or both.

From there you can go to graduate school, and get a Master's as a Psychatric NP and specialize in working with these kids. There is a great need for RNs who feel the need to help these kids, and NPs to treat them.

You may see a percentage of the students in your school who are abused, and even protect them by reporting the abuse. And depending on the school it may be a high percentage, but in a short term ped psych ward, I can virtually guarantee you, that every kid will be in need, and 85% will have been abused at some time.

I work referring these kids all the time, and my wife is a pediatric psychiatric nurse, so I see or hear about the kids every day.

Good luck with your career.

psychatrist

I am a substitute teacher as well as a nursing student in KS. I plan on working in the school nurses office. I have sent many children in the 3rd grade to the nurse only to find out that the brusing was deep and continuous. I have also thought about becoming a social workers (you must get your masters to do this) but you can then work for a place like COMCARE and work with abused chldren and troubled families. But it is heavy burden on ones heart to do this as a carear, as a place such a COMCARE if you can shadow a social worker for the day to see if this is something you would like to do. Good luck!

Child Protection Services, or in my state, the Dept. of Family and Protective Services, has a very high need for nursing consultants.

You could also consult on a part time basis with them and get involved with The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. I'm sure the experience you receive in nursing school, and working with both of these respectable organizations...you could bring a wealth of information to their team.

I commend you on your choice of career paths... it truly takes a special person to give themselves to children this way. Good luck :)