Preparing Your Child for a COVID-19 Test

The Child Life specialists at Children's Mercy help children cope with the feelings they may have about their illness, injury, disability, or hospitalization. They have created the guide below to help your child understand how a COVID-19 nasal swab test works.

What happens when you come for a COVID-19 test?

You will be going to Children's Mercy for something called a COVID-19 nasal swab or test. This will help the doctors and nurses know if your body has a certain type of germ.

The nurses doing the test will wear special outfits and walk up to your car to ask your family questions.

Two nurses in PPE walking from building — These are the nurses walking to your car. This is how the nurses are dressed when they talk with your family.

After talking with your family, the nurses will put a thin cotton swab (also called a nasal swab) inside your nose and move it around for 10 seconds. Most kids say it feels uncomfortable, but it is over very fast.

Nurse in PPE greeting boy in a car — The nurses will tell you what they are going to do before they do anything.

Two nurses in PPE performing a nasal swab test on boy in a car — This is the nasal swab.

After the nurses remove the nasal swab from your nose, it is put in a tube. Now your test is done, and you and your family can leave.

Gloved hands putting a nasal swab in a tube — This is the nurses putting your nasal swab in a tube.

Thank you for getting tested with us!

Questions on how to prepare your child for a test?

If you have questions on how to prepare your child for a COVID-19 nasal swab test, please call the Child Life Education Line at (816) 983-6870 or message “child life messages” on the MyChildrensMercy patient portal.

Updated January 17, 2021

Preparing Your Child for a COVID-19 Test

What happens when you come for a COVID-19 test?

Questions on how to prepare your child for a test?

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