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My first reply to this type of question is, research it on the internet. I have found a wealth of information as I have moved through my RN-BSN studies. There are government grants for which you can apply for funding. I would check with a Family Nurse Practioner at your local hospital from the areas of pediatrics and newborn. They will be able to get you on the right track. You need to get some background on your facility as to the most common types of illnesses and come up with a "menu" of what is acceptable for the sick unit. You shouldn't allow a child with a certain (high degree) of fever. This would set the staff up for having to deal with febrile seizures and I don't think that is appropriate unless they are going to hire pediatric nurses to staff this unit. You might want to consider a limited stay in the sick unit, ie. allow the parent to go in for half a day to set things up so they can get back to their child. I don't think it is healthy to set up a situation where a sick child is arranged to be away from a parent. There should be some accountability with the parent.
There are guidelines concerning the administration of medication as well as storage and more. Contact the Division of Facility Services to get the governmental guidelines. I hope this gives you a start. I hope I haven't led you astray. Best of Luck!
