Pediatric Nursing

Pediatric Nursing

What is Pediatric Nursing?

Pediatric nurses provides specialized care to children, infants and adolescents. A pediatric nurse also provides special care to children who suffer from critical illnesses related to cardiology or oncology.

Work Environment of Pediatric Nurse

Most registered nurses (RNs) work in hospitals, physician’™s offices, and surgical centers, but some run their own practices. Registered nurses may also visit schools, correctional facilities, and military campuses or children’™s summer camps to provide healthcare services.

Pediatric nurses need to be very knowledgeable in order to be able to diagnose and treat many types of childhood ailments. According to ExploreHealthCareers.org, pediatric nurses ‘perform physical examinations, measure vital statistics, take blood and urine samples and order diagnostic tests.’

Responsibilities and Challenges Faced by a Pediatric Nurse

    • A pediatric nurse has many different responsibilities. At the doctor’™s office, the nurse may have to do checkups or administer vaccinations. They will have to answer to the queries of parents and educate parents and children to take care of their health.
    • Pediatric nurses can work in home-care where they can provide therapies and ventilator care.
    • One of the challenges of being a pediatric nurse is that it can be very frustrating to handle patients who are highly uncooperative, which is common in pediatric nursing.
    • Pediatric nurses may have to deal with children who are suffering from fatal diseases such as cancer, and it can be painful to see children suffer.

Educational Requirements

According to Johnson & Johnson, the first step toward becoming a pediatric nurse is obtaining a nursing diploma, an ADN, or a BSN and passing the NCLEX-RN. This is followed by taking courses in child health and psychology in order to prepare for work in pediatrics. Then he or she can either begin to work as a registered nurse or obtain Pediatric Nurse certification through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board to become a pediatric nurse.

Outlook and Salary of a Pediatric Nurse

Johnson & Johnson estimates that the average yearly salary for a pediatric nurse is $36,000 – $47,000. ExploreHealthCareers.org states that the average yearly salary for a pediatric nurse is $48,000 – $68,000 and that their job outlook is excellent.

Additional Resources

More Resources

Flight Nurse

Flight-Transport Nursing

What is Flight/Transport Nursing? Flight and transport nursing are both types of emergency nursing. These nurses work mainly on ambulances, helicopters, and other rescue vehicles,

IV Therapy

Intravenous Therapy Nursing

What Is Intravenous Therapy Nursing? Intravenous therapy nurses, also known as infusion nurses, provide intravenous therapy to patients using an IV. Intravenous therapy can be

Certified Nurse Midwife

What is a Midwife? The ‘midwife’ has been around almost as long as women have been having babies. The practice of midwifery has evolved over

Holistic Nursing

Holistic Nursing

What is Holistic Nursing? Holistic nurses, who commonly help treat patients with alternative medicine, treat all aspects of a person including the body, mind, emotions,

Gastroenterology Nursing

What is Gastroenterology Nursing? Gastroenterology nurses, also referred to as endoscopy nurses, work with physicians in an effort to treat and diagnose patients with conditions

Emergency Nursing

Emergency Nursing

What is Emergency Nursing? Unsurprisingly, emergency nurses care for patients who are having emergencies. Most commonly, emergency nurses work in the Emergency Room, though they