Determination of the Level of Practice of Roles and Functions of Nurses Working at Pediatric Services

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to determine the level of practice of the roles and functions of pediatric nurses.
METHODS: The study was conducted with 80 nurses working in pediatric services of a university hospital and a state hospital. Nurse information form and Scale of Practice of Roles and Functions of Pediatric Nurses were used for data collection. Independent group t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used for statistical evaluation of the data.
RESULTS: The level of practice of roles and functions of nurses working in pediatric units of university and state hospitals was high. Although there were no significant differences among nurses in relation to their gender, age, marital status, educational status, experience in the profession, and experience in their current department and hospital (P >.05), there were significant differences among the nurses in relation to their work settings (P <.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: It is important to improve the quality of the care that pediatric nurses are aware of with regard to the physical, emotional, mental, and social needs of children and their families. For this reason, it is recommended that pediatric nurses should specialize in the field and receive training in order to be aware of and to use the roles of nursing effectively.