Open your ear!
When trying to obtain a throat culture from an uncooperative child, I hold the culture swab in my dominant hand and a plain cotton-tipped applicator in my other hand. I rub the cotton-tipped applicator against the patient's ear lobe while saying a few times, "open your ear; open your ear." Once the patient realizes that no pain is being inflicted, I suddenly say, "open your mouth." Amazingly, eight out of 10 times the child complies with my request. As I obtain the culture, I keep repeating "open your mouth," just as I did with the ear. Sometimes I even hear a chuckle from the parent as I tell the child to open his ear.
N. Zvi Avigdor, MD
Forest Hills, N.Y.
Synthesizing CDC immunization recommendations with Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP
March 27th 2024Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP, provided a review and reminder of the CDC immunization recommendations and schedule during her session at the 45th National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) National Conference on Pediatric Health Care in Denver, Colorado.