Education Requirements
All nurse specialty areas must complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and successfully pass the state’s NCLEX-RN exam. Some facilities prefer you to have a BSN but may accept an ADN.
Pediatric nurses, sometimes called peds nurses, care for children from birth to teenage years who have acute and chronic health conditions. They also manage pediatric basic well-care needs such as immunizations. These nurses have advanced knowledge and training in child growth and development and in the diseases and conditions that specifically affect children.
Pediatric nurses may specialize in a particular area, such as pediatric cardiology, pediatric oncology, or pediatric rehab. Caring for children requires special attention and focus on detecting changes in their status, which can rapidly decline. Most importantly, these nurses are caring for an entire family, so they must help parents and the child with any emotional and teaching needs.
All nurse specialty areas must complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and successfully pass the state’s NCLEX-RN exam. Some facilities prefer you to have a BSN but may accept an ADN.
Pediatric nurses must be BCLS certified and will need to become Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certified. It is highly encouraged they earn their Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) after gaining experience. You can apply to become a Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) after working for 1,800 hours in pediatric nursing for 24 months or 3,000 hours in the last five years before taking the exam. You can also advance by getting an MSN or doctoral degree with a pediatric focus and become a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (PCNS). Alternatively, you can become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) and gain additional certifications in primary care, acute care, and psychiatric care.
Depends on the pediatric setting, but the most common pediatric hospitalization diagnoses reported in 2016 were:
*Source: Epidemiology of pediatric hospitalizations at general hospitals and freestanding children’s hospitals in the United States