Pediatric Nurse Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a pediatric nurse. Feel free to use our pediatric nurse job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a pediatric nurse.
Who is a Pediatric Nurse?
A pediatric nurse helps newborns, children, and adolescents with their health and medical needs. The pediatric nurse can converse with children and ask them questions about their health, especially when they are fearful and unable to express their difficulties adequately.
Pediatric nurses devote their expertise and abilities to caring for children and their families from infancy through late adolescence. These specialized pediatric nurses typically complete advanced pediatrics training and work closely with physicians and other health care providers who share their passion for children’s health.
A pediatric nurse can perform physical examinations, collect vital statistics, take blood and urine samples, and order diagnostic tests just like regular pediatric nurses. Advanced-practice pediatric nurses can analyze test results to generate diagnoses and treatment recommendations.
Parents commonly choose to have their children treated by paediatric specialists since children have particular health demands. Adolescents’ bodies are still evolving and changing, so they react differently to pain, disease, and even conventional remedies.
Furthermore, youngsters become terrified and are unable to accurately convey “what hurts.” Pediatric nurses understand how to communicate with children and dispel their worries. They also know how to ask children health-related questions to acquire thorough and reliable data for diagnosis and treatment.
Pediatric nurses spend a substantial lot of time educating parents and other caregivers about how to care for their children and preserve their health, in addition to caring for patients with injuries and diseases. They create home care plans for families of children with chronic diseases like juvenile diabetes or paralysis to help them meet their child’s particular requirements.
Pediatric nurses work in a variety of locations including doctor’s offices, clinics, hospitals, surgical centers, and other healthcare facilities. Their abilities provide special comfort to children and their parents in acute care units such as the neonatal unit, pediatric critical care unit, and pediatric oncology ward.
The pediatric nurse also works in schools, private practices, community groups, and other organizations that provide outpatient and preventative health care to children, especially those with limited access to treatment.
In most circumstances, the pediatric nurse collaborates closely with a pediatric or family medicine physician. Pediatric nursing responsibilities are comparable to those in other departments, with more engagement with the patient’s family.
Working with sick children can be emotionally draining, so if you choose to work in this field, you need to take care of yourself. Pediatric nurses are prone to burnout.
Specialties in Pediatric Nursing
Pediatric nursing specializations cater to the needs of distinct patient groups. Here are a few examples:
Oncology: In recent decades, childhood cancer rates have continued to rise. Pediatric oncology pediatric nurses provide support to kids and their families while they fight life-threatening illnesses.
Pediatric intensive care unit: Pediatric nurses in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) offer care to extremely ill or severely damaged children who require constant monitoring and invasive procedures.
Rehabilitation: Physical therapy is provided to children with disabilities, whether temporary or permanent, to assist the child in gaining independence in their physical movements and life skills.
Pediatric Nurse Job Description
Below are the pediatric nurse job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a pediatric nurse job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a pediatric nurse include the following:
- Work with children and ask questions about their health to diagnose them, as well as document the symptoms and medical history of patients for the doctor.
- Identify a child’s needs and provide immediate assistance.
- Detect changes in a child’s symptoms and respond in an emergency.
- Participate in the treatment of children’s suffering.
- Follow age-appropriate recommendations for administering medications, collecting blood, and administering kids’ vaccines.
- Keep accurate records of temperature, pulse, breathing, and blood pressure.
- Examine youngsters for abuse signs and symptoms.
- Provide comfort to youngsters who are dying.
- Deal with parents’ concerns and demands, as well as assist families in dealing with their child’s illness or accident.
- Maintain current knowledge of new advancements, norms and regulations, drug therapies, equipment, and treatment techniques.
- Monitor temperature, pulse rate, and blood pressure of children.
- Examine patients, collect blood and urine samples, and arrange diagnostic testing.
- Examine patients and their families about their child’s treatment plan and how to deal with sickness or injuries.
- Provide emotional support especially when a youngster is enduring a tough medical procedure.
- Perform physical, occupational, or speech therapy.
- Assist with the setup of equipment such as oxygen tanks and ventilators.
- Establish treatment programs for children with chronic or acute diseases in collaboration with other healthcare practitioners.
- Assess, observe, and reported on patients’ conditions.
- Prepare patients for treatments and operations.
- keep an eye on intravenous infusions.
- administer medications and injections.
- assist with assessments and testing.
- Describe treatment and processes to enable parents/carers to consent to treatment.
- Support, advise and educate patients and their families.
- Follow stringent hygiene and safety requirements, and make sure visitors follow any ward or unit rules.
- Write reports and update records before leaving a shift.
Qualifications
The qualifications for this career path include all of the following:
- Nursing bachelor’s or associate’s degree.
- Certification as a pediatric registered nurse is required: Certification confirms that a person has reached a certain level of knowledge by passing a genuine and credible standardized exam. Certification verifies an individual’s clinical decision-making knowledge and critical thinking skills for a specific demographic. Certification establishes the nurse as having a recognized level of competence in the clinical practice area. Certification for pediatric nurses at both the basic and advanced practice levels is widely supported and encouraged by the Society of Pediatric Nurses. Pediatric Nursing Certification Board and the American Pediatric Nurses Credentialing Center are two organizations that promote certification programs. Each one has an initial exam as well as ongoing certification requirements. Maintaining certification requires proof of ongoing knowledge acquisition.
- Possession of clinical experience.
Essential Skills
The core abilities required of a pediatric nurse include all of the following:
- Compassion: The nursing profession is a calling for many people. Pediatric nurses must have a high level of sensitivity and compassion for others to support individuals who are going through life-changing medical conditions. Compassion and empathy for patients, families, and colleagues are critical leadership abilities in dealing with emergency or delicate circumstances. These abilities are emphasized in an RN to BSN degree program, which helps future leaders prepare for the scenarios they will face.
- Calmness: In the face of hardship, leaders do not panic. This is very crucial in nursing. Pediatric nurses work in a high-stress atmosphere regularly. Even people who do not work in hospitals will encounter situations when emotional stability and a calm, steady demeanor are required. Pediatric nurses must not only be able to soothe others, but also be able to control their own emotions during times of extreme stress.
- Organization: Professors emphasize the need for pediatric nurses to become exceedingly structured in their work as nursing students begin an RN to BSN degree program. As pediatric nurses advance in their careers, they must be able to deal with concerns that develop with a variety of patients, frequently all at once. Pediatric nurses are generally on the front lines of patient care, therefore dealing with this needs good organizational abilities.
Focusing on these skills is crucial for pediatric nurses who want to advance their careers. A good RN to BSN degree program can give them the education and training they need to advance their careers.
- Clinical expertise: Pediatric nurses are registered pediatric nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, a nursing diploma, or an associate’s degree in nursing. To practice, all must be licensed, and many also obtain certification in general pediatrics or a pediatric specialized field. They may also receive further training in child development or specific elements of pediatric care, such as oncology (the treatment of children with cancer).
They could work in neonatal nurseries with premature babies, pediatricians’ offices, or other settings including home health or pediatric critical care. Each of them may necessitate a unique skill set. Because health care is a dynamic field, pediatric nurses must commit to continual learning, which includes annual continuing education coursework to keep their licensure.
- Ability to make a connection with the children: A pediatric nurse must be able to communicate effectively with children of all ages. A doctor’s visit might be frightening for a tiny child, thus the nurse must be able to gain the trust of the child. Being able to see things through the eyes of a child is beneficial. When parents appear frightened, children may panic, thus the capacity to remain calm is equally vital. Balance, as much as compassion, is required. Too much involvement by a nurse can lead to emotional exhaustion and burnout.
- Building Bridges With Families: Pediatric nurses must have a service orientation and actively seek out opportunities to assist others, but they must also be able to recognize parents’ knowledge and recruit them as partners in their child’s care. When working with parents who are concerned or afraid, basic pediatric nurse qualities include efficient communication and listening. In addition, the nurse must be able to convert complex clinical and scientific facts into terms that parents and children can comprehend.
- Playfulness: Pediatric nurses can inject a little playfulness into the lives of sick children to help them relax. Good relaxation therapy for kids could be playing of music, activities, and use of objects like small cuddly animals that can attach to a stethoscope to help children relax.
- Critical thinking skills: Pediatric nurses must have great critical thinking skills because very young patients often can’t express how they’re feeling. Because children are often terrified or distracted, getting accurate answers to queries about their symptoms can be challenging. Despite the difficulties, you’ll need to be able to obtain the information you require, including what you learn from the children’s families.
- Empathy: It’s crucial to be empathic, even if you need to keep a professional distance. Even if you’re having a difficult day, having a frigid attitude isn’t appealing. Being friendly and empathetic to children and their families will make them feel more at ease with you and their situation.
- Good communication skills: Pediatric nurses must be strong communicators since they communicate information with doctors and patients. You’ll need to communicate with young children while gathering information from them (which isn’t always simple) and explaining things in an age-appropriate manner. You’ll be able to assist and keep everyone as calm and supportive as possible by providing care, knowledge, and support to children and their parents.
- Endurance: Any nurse can feel overloaded and worn out, but pediatric nurses are especially susceptible. As a result, to do your best work for your patients and secure your well-being, you’ll need to take care of yourself psychologically and physically.
How to Become a Pediatric Nurse
To reach your aspirations of becoming a pediatric nurse, you will need extensive study and clinical training. This is a list of the necessary steps you need to take:
Step 1: Get Your Nursing Degree: Your path to becoming a pediatric nurse starts with your nursing education. The first stage is to get a college diploma. A BSN degree takes three to five years to complete. Another option is to obtain an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), with the potential of later enrolling in a BSN bridge program.
Step 2: Pass Your NCLEX-RN Exam: To become completely licensed as a registered nurse, you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (commonly known as the NCLEX-RN) after receiving your BSN (or ADN). This comprehensive standardized test is used to determine whether you’ve learned enough to practice as a pediatric RN safely.
Step 3: Gain Experience as an RN: You can start working as an RN once you have been formally licensed by your state’s board of nursing. If you want to be a pediatric nurse, you should look for a nursing profession that allows you to work with children and their families. This could be a pediatrician’s office, a newborn unit at a hospital, or a community clinic for children. Keep in mind that you’ll need to have completed around two to five years of clinical pediatric nursing hours to qualify for the test when it’s time to get your pediatric nursing licensure.
Step 4: Take the Certified Pediatric Nurse Examination: Pediatric nurses can register for the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board’s (PNCB) Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) exam after completing 1,800 hours of clinical practice in children in 24 months, or 3,000 hours over five years. There are 175 multiple-choice questions in the three-hour test. While certification is not required to work as a pediatric nurse, it does demonstrate your knowledge of the profession. This knowledge can lead to improved work opportunities and higher wages.
Step 5: Pursue a Graduate Nursing Degree: Investing in a graduate nursing degree will help you locate more advanced work prospects and higher pay in the future. As a pediatric nurse, it is not required, but it can be quite beneficial. Depending on the specialization, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) can be completed in two to three years. No extra certification is required for an MSN.
Where to work as a Pediatric Nurse
Pediatric nurses work in a variety of locations including doctor’s offices, clinics, hospitals, surgical centers, and other healthcare facilities. Their abilities provide special comfort to children and their parents in acute care units such as the neonatal unit, pediatric critical care unit, and pediatric oncology ward.
Pediatric nurses also work in schools, private practices, community groups, and other organizations that provide outpatient and preventative health care to children, especially those with limited access to treatment.
In most circumstances, the pediatric nurse collaborates closely with a pediatric or family medicine physician. Pediatric nursing responsibilities are comparable to those in other departments, with more engagement with the patient’s family.
Pediatric Nurse Salary Scale
Pediatric nurses can make anywhere from $52,000 to $88,850 per year, depending on their degree of education, experience, geographic region, and the type of facility they work in. Pediatric nurses with experience might earn $100,000 or more per year. Although the average pediatric nurse income in the United Kingdom is £37,418 per year or £19.19 per hour. The starting salary for entry-level occupations is £31,526 per year, with most experienced workers earning up to £58,503 per year.
