A pediatric nurse practitioner provides primary care to infants, children and adolescents. They provide the same basic type of care as pediatricians.
Pediatric nurse practitioner job description
Much of their work involves diagnosing and treating common childhood illnesses, injuries and infections. They are licensed to take medical histories, perform physical examinations, check blood pressure, pulse and respiration, take x-rays and order laboratory tests such as blood samples and urine analysis. These results are then interpreted by the pediatric nurse practitioner to diagnose the problem. It is their responsibility to manage a treatment regime including prescribing medication, arranging alternative therapies, and scheduling rehabilitation programs for injuries.
A large part of a pediatric nurse practitioner job will be in promoting community health. They will organize information programs to educate parents and adolescents on ways of ensuring proper care and leading a healthy lifestyle to help prevent illness and injury. They provide routine health checks, organize vaccination programs and perform school physicals.
Since a pediatric nurse practitioner deals with under-eighteens, they will be in close contact with the child’s parents. This involves educating parents about their child’s health and development, helping them deal with an illness the child may have, offering support and counselling particularly if it is a chronic illness, discussing treatment options, and answering the parents’ queries. Pediatric nurse practitioners therefore need to be patient and approachable as well as being able to communicate effectively and sympathetically.
Pediatric nurse practitioner skills
A pediatric nurse practitioner needs to be diligent, a good decision-maker, a problem solver, an excellent communicator, able to work under pressure, independent and also able to work with others. As well as all the other attributes that any nurse needs such as kindness, patience and compassion, a pediatric nurse needs to be able to communicate on the level of a child, be imaginative and have a good sense of humor.
Pediatric nurse practitioner jobs
Pediatric nurse practitioner jobs are normally found in children’s hospitals, children’s wards in general hospitals, pediatric clinics, community health centers and schools. Some nurse practitioners have their own offices and clinics but some states require them to work as part of a healthcare team under the supervision of a licensed doctor.
Pediatric nurse practitioner salary
The pediatric nurse practitioner salary ranges from $59,345 to $101,025 with a median wage of $76,778. Experience, employer and location are the main controlling factors in determining salaries.
Pediatric nurse practitioner training
Training for a pediatric nurse practitioner job involves completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing followed by obtaining a license to practice as a registered nurse and working in this capacity for at least a year before applying to a nurse practitioner school. A Master of Science in Nursing takes two years to complete if pursuing the course full-time.
Pediatric nurse practitioner programs begin with studying core courses in nursing theories, research methodologies, advanced practice nursing, pathophysiology and pharmacology. The student then focuses on advanced training in pediatrics such as pediatric theories, child health promotion and disease prevention, childhood illness, diagnostic techniques, treatment therapies, and children’s medication. The final year concentrates on writing a thesis and a series of clinical practices in a pediatric setting.
Pediatric nurse practitioner schools
According to the U.S. News and World Report, the best schools for pediatric nurse practitioner programs are the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA), Yale University (New Haven, CT), University of Washington (Seattle, WA), University of Pittsburgh (PA), Duke University (Durham, NC), Rush University (Chicago, Il), University of Colorado (Denver) and the University of California (San Francisco). Brandman University offers a MSN and Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in pediatrics online to suit those who find it difficult to attend full-time on-campus courses.
Pediatric nurse practitioner certification
After graduating, the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX) needs to be passed in order to be able to practise as a pediatric nurse practitioner. Employers may also request certification. The American Nurses Credential Center offers a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) credential. Obtaining nurse practitioner certification demonstrates that you have reached the national standards for your profession and gives employers confidence in hiring you.
Pediatric nurse practitioner professional development
Pediatric nurse practitioners need to keep abreast of their profession through ongoing peer review, continuing education, research and re-certification. A good way of doing this is to join a nurse practitioner association at a national or state level such as the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. There is also the opportunity for a pediatric nurse practitioner to specialize in an area within pediatrics in general such as orthopedics, neurology or chronic diseases like juvenile diabetes.
Pediatric nurse practitioner job prospects
There is an excellent job climate for pediatric advanced nurses in line with the estimated twenty two per cent growth rate for all nursing jobs between 2008 and 2018. The demand for pediatric nurse practitioner jobs is primarily due to the fact that they are more affordable to visit than a paediatrician and yet they largely offer the same services and provide individualized quality healthcare for children.
