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.
