Pediatric Nurse

A pediatric nurse specializes in working with infants, children, and teenagers. Life is always exciting as a pediatric nurse! With a wide range of age groups and health conditions to care for, your time as a pediatric nurse is filled with plenty of variety, unique challenges, and heartwarming moments.

A pediatric nurse is passionate about providing the best quality care to their patients- and this requires a huge heart, specialized skills, and a watchful eye! Children are vulnerable to a wide range of acute and chronic illnesses. They react to and experience disease processes differently than adults.

A pediatric nurse provides dedicated care to our younger population and is often able to receive advanced training and specialize in a particular area of pediatrics- such as pediatric emergency care, pediatric oncology, or pediatric critical care. Other pediatric nurses obtain advanced degrees. The sky is the limit!‍

A pediatric nurse provides nursing care to children as young as a few days old, and up to teenagers ready to graduate high school. Their nursing care can be similar to other specialties- but with a kid-friendly twist!

General activities may include:

• Taking pediatric patient histories
• Performing pediatric-specific assessments
• Recording vital signs
• Administering medications or immunizations
• Monitoring lab results and response to therapy
• Alerting the medical team to important changes that need further attention and intervention
• Educating children and their families

A pediatric nurse incorporates developmental knowledge to care for each child’s emotional and physical needs. An infant, school-aged child, and teenager (and their parents!) will all require different approaches, explanations, and education to meet their needs.

A pediatric nurse not only cares for young patients, but provides support to their parents as well. A stellar pediatric nurse can calm nerves, gain trust, and collaborate with parents.

Pediatric nurses educate parents and children on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Communication is key for the pediatric nurse- with parents, and with children who are too young or unable to tell healthcare providers what they are feeling.

Pediatric nurses assess children accurately and are skilled in evaluating each child’s response to treatment. They know the normal pediatric parameters for labs and vitals, which can differ depending on a child’s age. A pediatric nurse has many unique and specialized nursing skills! Kids are not just little adults.

Medication administration is critical in pediatrics. Dosing is individually based on the child’s weight, whereas adult doses are often more standardized. Pediatric nurses take the utmost care when calculating and administering medication to children.

Pediatric nurses are pros at performing age-specific technical skills. As a pediatric nurse, you’ll be starting IVs and doing other technical nursing skills for all age groups- from infants up to teenagers!

A pediatric nurse can work in a traditional environment such as a hospital, urgent care center, clinic, or doctor’s office. They also work in schools, for community organizations, and provide in-home care. Some pediatric nurses provide telehealth consults or work from home.

You can enjoy access to a wide range of work settings across the United States that can fit your individual preferences. Don’t want to work nights? Or weekends? Or maybe you do- no matter what, you can find a pediatric nursing job that works for your lifestyle.

Pediatric nurses encounter a wide range of diagnoses and cases. Here are some of the most common:

• Medical: Infections such as pneumonia, asthma, bronchiolitis, cellulitis, and urinary tract infections. Children may need care for dehydration, infant jaundice, cancer, and other diagnoses.
• Mental Health: Depression, mood disorders, and bipolar disorder. Pediatric nurses provide both inpatient and outpatient mental health care.
• Surgical: Bone fractures, appendicitis, and abdominal surgeries such as pyloric stenosis. Children involved in accidents may require surgery and specialized trauma care.

Once you have your degree, these are your next moves:

• Pediatric nurses need to be Basic Life Support (BLS) certified
• Pediatric nurses may need to become Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certified, depending on their work setting.
• After working as a pediatric nurse, you can become a Certified Pediatric Nurse or CPN. This certification shows your advanced knowledge and dedication to your specialty. You will need to work as a pediatric nurse for 1,800 hours in 24 months, or have worked 3,000 hours in the past five years to be eligible to take this exam.
• Other pediatric specialty-specific certifications are available.
  

To become a pediatric nurse, you will need to complete an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. After that, your next steps are:

• Pass the NCLEX-RN exam and apply for your RN license after graduation.
• Apply to work in a pediatric setting in a hospital, doctor’s office, clinic, or other location.
• Continue your education to further hone your pediatric skills!

It takes as little as one year to become a pediatric nurse through an accelerated program, or it can take over four years if you choose to study part-time. It totally depends on your program and lifestyle!

• An associate degree program can be completed in two years.
• A bachelor’s degree program can be completed in four years.
• Accelerated nursing programs are available, especially if you have a prior college degree or healthcare experience. These programs are often one year long.
• Many nursing programs offer amazing flexibility. Different schools offer a range of full-time, part-time, and night and weekend classes.

A pediatric nurse can further their career by getting an advanced nursing degree- such as a master’s or doctoral degree with a pediatric focus. With an advanced degree, you can become a:

• Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (PCNS)
• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP). PNPs work in various settings, including primary, acute, and psychiatric care.
• Pediatric Nurse Educator
• Pediatric Nurse Manager

Pediatric nurses make between $64,054- $99,588, with a median salary of $78,000, according to Salary.com. Pediatric nurses who specialize or obtain advanced degrees can make significantly more.

Pediatric nursing pay also varies by state. The May 2021 Bureau of Labor and Statistics report shows which states have the highest (California, Hawaii, and Oregon) and lowest (South Dakota, Alabama, and Mississippi) wages for nurses. This list is not specialty-specific, but pediatric nurse salaries likely follow suit. ‍

American Academy of Pediatrics

Society of Pediatric Nurses

National Association of School Nurses (NASN)

American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association (APSNA)

Association Of Pediatric Hematology And Oncology Nurses (APHON)

Society Of Pediatric and Cardiovascular Nurses (SPCN)