Is Pediatric Nursing the Right Specialty For You?

• If you love caring for children and babies and have good communication skills, pediatric nursing might be the career for you.
• Salary estimates for the specialty range from $38,000 to $89,000 annually.
• Critical thinking skills, good communication, compassion, and empathy are all characteristics that lend themselves to a career in pediatric nursing.

Are you thinking of becoming a pediatric nurse? If you love caring for children and babies and have good communication skills, it just might be the career for you.

We’ll tell you how to become a pediatric nurse, including the salary, job responsibilities, career prospects, skills, and traits required. 

Pediatric nurses care for children, babies, toddlers, infants, newborns, and adolescents. They must be skilled nurses and understand their young patients’ physical and psychological needs. Children cannot always convey their pain and problems, which makes pediatric nursing both exciting and challenging.

What Does a Pediatric Nurse Do?

A pediatric nurse must meet the demands of the young population. You will spend your time in hospitals or clinics, looking after babies, children, and teens, diagnosing them, and assessing their treatment.  

A pediatric nurse educates parents and caregivers about their child’s health. You can work at different places, such as:  

• Free-standing children’s hospital   
• Outpatient specialty care  
• Community clinics   
• Outpatient primary care  
• Tertiary care medical centers  
• Schools  
• Home healthcare   
• Ambulatory surgery centers  
• Mental health facilities   
• Urgent care   
• Rehabilitation centers 

Generally, pediatric nurses are skilled in the same way as adult nurses. But the treatment, assessment, and modalities of younger patients differ from adults. Therefore, working as a pediatric nurse requires extensive training and specialization. After becoming a registered nurse, you must gain experience working with the pediatric population and credentials.

Responsibilities of a Pediatric Nurse

A pediatric nurse’s general responsibilities are similar to that of an RN, including tasks such as: 

• Assessing the physical and psychological state of patients.  
• Administering medications, monitoring their side effects, and checking the child’s health.  
• Developing a nursing care plan tailored to each child. 
• Performing diagnostic tests and analyze the results.  
• Monitoring the patient’s vital signs, such as heart and respiratory rate, temperature, and blood pressure.  
• Administering vaccines and immunizations to prevent infections.   
• Taking a complete patient history, conduct screening tests, and ensuring preventive care.  
• Collecting bodily fluids such as blood, urine, stool, and sputum to diagnose the condition.  
• Educating caregivers and the patient on anything health-related, such as diet, nutrition, fitness, disease, and prevention.  
• Coordinating and communicating with other team members to diagnose the patient and administer treatment. 

Salary  

PayScale states a pediatric nurse can earn between $38,000 and $89,000 annually. The hourly rates vary from $22 to $42 per hour.

The salary of a nurse may vary based on:  

• Specialty   
• Geographic location   
• Experience   
• Additional training   
• Certifications   
• Degree program completed  

How to Become a Pediatric Nurse

It can take around five to eight years to become a pediatric nurse, and you must complete the following steps: 

• Earn a bachelor’s degree or an associate degree in nursing.   
• Become licensed to practice by passing the NCLEX-RN.  
• As an RN, gain experience in childcare or family care settings.  
• Pass the certified pediatric nursing exam. The exam is three hours long, based on 175 multiple-choice questions. Commonly, the questions are from assessment, health promotion, management, and clinical problems.

You can gain further certifications in sub-specialization such as:  

• CPON: Certified Pediatric Oncology Nurse  
• CHPPN: Certified Hospice and Palliative Pediatric Nurse  
• CPEN: Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse  
• CPHON: Certified Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurse  
• RNC-NIC: Registered Nurse Certification-Neonatal Intensive Care

Skills and Traits Required for A Pediatric Nurse

Common skills and traits required for pediatric nurses include:  

• Critical thinking 
• Good communication   
• Compassion and empathy   
• Attention to detail   
• Emotional stability 
• Organized 
• Be physically active, have the stamina to be on your feet all day, and move patients from one department to another. 

The Bottom Line

Gaining certification as a pediatric nurse helps advance your career and increase your job prospects. Employers are interested in hiring nurses for NICUs who can look after children and have experience and certification in pediatrics. Your salary as a pediatric nurse would also increase.  

Pediatric nursing is a subspeciality you can choose after becoming a registered nurse. If you have a keen interest in looking after children, you do that well and enjoy it, that could be the best fit for you.

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