What to Do When Your Child is Sick

Well, I had really hoped to get back to you long before now, but I ran into a problem, there are so many resources to share with you and your children. I really did not know where to start. But after all the sick children we have recently seen, I thought I would give you some resources about what to do when your child is sick. 

As many of you know, I worked in the emergency department for years. It is an amazing place, and we are so fortunate to have such great emergency departments in our area. We have hospitals with designated pediatric sections to their emergency departments and we have an entire children’s hospital with an amazing pediatric emergency department and pediatric trauma center.  It is a blessing that many of us take for granted. 

The emergency department is where you want to be if your child is having an “emergency” but it’s not the greatest place when your child is “not having an emergency” because emergency departments do not see patients in the order they arrive. They see patients by how sick they are and how dangerous their sickness is to them. They have had years of training to know that and even have specially trained triage nurses who know when your child needs to be seen quickly. 

So, the question I want to help you answer is where should I take my child; the emergency department, the urgent care or your pediatric provider’s office? 

The first attached resource is “Emergency Symptoms Not to Miss”. We want you to know what is for sure an emergency.  This is a resource from Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

The second resource is the link to KidsHealth.org a very informative website. It tells you about what to expect at the emergency department. 

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/emergency-room.html?ref=search

But as you notice there are a lot of things that we as parents are concerned about that are not on the “Emergency Symptoms Not to Miss”. Like colds, sore throats, earaches, many fevers, and many vomiting and diarrhea episodes. What do we do with those?

CALL OUR OFFICE AND PUSH EXTENSION ONE. We have expanded our front staff and have changed our phone policy so there is almost always someone to answer your call when your child is sick and give you a same day sick visit with one of our providers.  You can also reach out to us through your child’s office portal and those messages are checked often throughout the day. If we are closed and you do not feel like you can wait there are multiple urgent care centers in our area. 

We want to be here for you and help you walk through your child’s illnesses. 

- Julie Kappes