What does a pediatric nurse do? Pediatric nurses focus on caring for children, from infants to adolescents. Their daily responsibilities vary and depend on their work environment, but typically include patient assessments, medication administration, and obtaining samples. There are several types of pediatric nurses, from neonatal to PICU nurses.
What does a pediatric nurse do? Sometimes referred to as peds nurses, pediatric nurses specialize in caring for children from infancy to adolescence. They are a critical part of the healthcare team and perform a variety of nursing tasks.
Becoming a skilled pediatric nurse starts during your education. At the University of Mount Saint Vincent, our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program offers a comprehensive curriculum designed for students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree.
By leveraging students’ educational backgrounds, they can graduate with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in nursing in as few as 16 months, prepared with the skills needed to excel in any nursing specialty.
What a pediatric nurse does day-to-day depends on their specialty and work environment. As you consider your future nursing career, explore the responsibilities of a pediatric nurse and how to become one, so you can decide whether it’s right for you.
Pediatric Nurse Duties
What does a pediatric nurse do in their day-to-day? Pediatric nurses have many responsibilities that change daily and from patient to patient. They work closely with pediatricians and other healthcare team members to follow treatment plans and deliver patient care. Generally, pediatric nurse duties include:
- Performing patient assessments
- Recording vital signs and changes in condition
- Administering medications and immunizations
- Obtaining samples for testing
- Educating patients and their families
Responsibilities may also change depending on the work environment. Pediatric nurses who work in doctors’ offices are likely to perform more routine wellness assessments, while nurses in pediatric ICUs must provide critical care.
Regardless of where they work, pediatric nurses must be adept at communicating with both patients and their families. Medical emergencies and conditions can be confusing and scary for anyone, but children are often too young to understand the specifics. Pediatric nurses must know how best to communicate with children at multiple life stages and their families during high-stress situations.
What skills do nurses need to be a nurse? Learn more about 15 essential skills for nurses.
Types of Pediatric Nurses
Nursing is a diverse field with many subspecialties that can suit your passions and strengths. Pediatric nursing is no exception. Within this specialty are subspecialties that need skilled professionals.
Pediatric nurses work in various environments, from children’s hospitals and long-term care facilities to clinics and schools. They can also work in pediatric offices, where they perform well-child visits, or work with social service agencies.
Below is a sample of the types of pediatric nurses:
- General Care Pediatric Nurses: These types of pediatric nurses can work in children’s hospitals or with primary care providers, treating children experiencing acute or chronic conditions.
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Nurses: PICU nurses work in pediatric ICUs, closely monitoring patients ranging from toddlers to adolescents who are experiencing critical medical conditions.
- Neonatal Nurses: Neonatal nurses work exclusively with newborns, providing round-the-clock care. Some neonatal nurses work in neonatal ICUs, where their patients are infants born prematurely or with serious conditions.
- School Nurses: School nurses work in schools and are trained to provide basic medical care to students. Their duties range from dressing minor cuts and scrapes to administering medications. When an emergency outside of their scope of care occurs, they will call emergency services or recommend that parents take their child to see their primary care provider.
How to Become a Pediatric Nurse
To become a pediatric nurse, you must first earn a nursing degree and license. Whether you are considering entering nursing as your first career or a career changer, your nursing education is a critical step.
Depending on your chosen program, it can also open many career opportunities. Below are the steps you must follow before starting as a pediatric nurse.
1. Earn a Nursing Degree
The first step is earning a nursing degree. How long does it take to become a pediatric nurse? The length of time depends on your chosen degree. Two degree options will qualify you for the nursing license exam:
- Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN): ADN programs are typically two years long. While an ADN makes you eligible for the exam, a BS in nursing is required to pursue graduate programs and certain leadership positions.
- BS in nursing: BS in nursing programs are typically four years long—shorter in an accelerated program—and offer a more rounded, comprehensive education that allows you to pursue higher education, which can lead to more advanced nursing and leadership roles. Nurses who have completed this program are also in high demand.
Studies have indicated that facilities with a higher proportion of nurses with a BS in nursing yield more positive patient outcomes. Additionally, BS in nursing graduates have an easier time finding employment. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 96% of baccalaureate graduates received a job offer within four to six months after graduation.
If you have a non-nursing degree from an accredited institution, you might be eligible for an accelerated BS in nursing program. These programs are designed to leverage the student’s educational background, allowing them to earn a BS in nursing on a shorter timeline than traditional BS in nursing programs.
2. Obtain a Nursing License
The NCLEX-RN exam is a nationally recognized exam that tests applicants’ clinical judgment and decision-making skills. It is not a typical exam. Rather than testing your memory, the exam requires you to exercise your clinical judgment. Sometimes, there are multiple “correct” answers, and you must carefully review the given context to determine the most appropriate response.
While your nursing program will help prepare you for the exam, you should start studying on your own and in study groups while in nursing school. Then, dedicate the weeks leading up to the exam to full-time study.
You can prepare for the NCLEX with these nine NCLEX studying tips.
3. Gain Clinical Experience
Once you pass the exam, you can apply for your license with your state’s nursing board and start working as a licensed registered nurse. You can pursue entry-level jobs at children’s hospitals and units; however, more specialized units might require more clinical experience or additional certification.
4. Pursue Optional Pediatric Certification
While certification is optional, it can improve your credentials and allow you to pursue other pediatric nursing subspecialties. According to the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB), 83% of healthcare leaders prefer hiring pediatric-certified nurses, and 88% of nurses in the survey claim that certification improves their confidence.
You can pursue two options: the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Pediatric Nursing Certification and the PNCB’s Certified Pediatric Nurse certification; however, you cannot earn certification immediately after earning a license. You must first acquire clinical experience and maintain an unrestricted nursing license to pursue these certification options.
Take the First Steps with Mount Saint Vincent’s ABSN Program
Your journey to becoming a pediatric nurse starts with earning a nursing degree, which is why you want to start on the right foot. If you have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, you can earn a BS in nursing in as few as 16 months with Mount Saint Vincent’s ABSN program.
At Mount Saint Vincent, our ABSN program offers the same quality of education as you would expect from a four-year program. By building on your non-nursing bachelor’s degree and the ABSN prerequisites, you can fast-track nursing school while still gaining a top-notch BS in nursing education.
The ABSN curriculum is carefully designed to prepare students with the knowledge and skills to pass the NCLEX-RN and become practice-ready nurses. The curriculum includes:
- Nursing coursework: Our on-site nursing coursework establishes foundational core nursing concepts.
- Skills and Nursing Simulation Labs: These nursing labs allow students to hone core nursing skills, develop their clinical judgment, and learn to work as a healthcare team in a simulated clinical setting.
- Clinical Rotations: Clinicals allow students to work in real healthcare settings, caring for patients under the supervision of professional nurses.
To provide clinical experiences, Mount Saint Vincent has partnered with exceptional New York City clinical partners, including:
- Memorial Sloan Kettering
- Mount Sinai Hospital
- NYU Langone Health
- NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center
- NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center
These partnerships allow students to explore a wide range of nursing specialties, including pediatrics.
Start Your Pediatric Nursing Journey Today
Your education will play an important role in preparing you to meet nursing’s demands and flourish in your career. At Mount Saint Vincent, we support our students from the moment they start the admission process to graduation. Our admission team is ready to help you navigate the admission requirements and each step of the process.
Upon enrollment, students will have the support of our talented faculty and dedicated Academic Success Coaches, who will help guide you through your academic journey. Contact us today to learn more about how our ABSN program can launch your nursing career in any specialty, even pediatric nursing.