"When I think of all that children and their parents teach me, I feel blessed. I try to convey to my little patients that they are special, and that I am lucky to get to be their nurse. When they act up, I try to put myself in their place."
"Here's a quote that should be posted in every school nurse's office: 'Do you have a headache a stomach ache or a heart ache?  I'm here for you.' the quote was on my door, and it brought me a child with a stomach ache caused by her learning  of her parents' up-coming divorce." 

"Have you ever heard music soothes the savage beast.  Believe me it
does.  I can't sing, but when I have a little one that I'm doing a
procedure on, especially one that's time consuming like a breathing
treatment I sing their favorite song.  Like one from the t.v. show they
like to watch.  Sometimes they sing too and sometimes I don't even know
many of the words but it doesn't matter because their little minds are
somewhere else and they almost always stop crying!!!  Nursery rymes are
great too, like patty cake."

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Joan Fleitas, Ed.D., R.N.
Associate Professor of Nursing, Lehman College, CUNY
Bronx, New York 10468

Last updated: November 14, 2004