Pediatric nursing in Italy: struggling to survive

In Italy the regulatory framework of the nursing professions presents critical aspects. While a Children Nurse cannot provide care to an adult, a newly graduated General Nurse can legally be assigned to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit without having ever touched a newborn before. Italian general hospitals with pediatric departments almost always prefer to hire General Nurses rather than Children Nurses, because the former, albeit insufficiently prepared, make staff management easier for nursing directors. Italian Children Nurses are not only penalized by this situation, but also by the public's lack of interest in the specific wellbeing and health needs of children. In addition, they must defend themselves from a part of the Italian nursing leadership, which periodically tries to eliminate the pediatric nursing profession. In an environment that is essentially hostile to Children Nurses, the young who decide nonetheless to take up this profession have very strong and enduring motivations.