Top Pediatric Nursing Schools
- University of Phoenix Click for Recommended Degree Program
- Colorado Technical University Click for Recommended Degree Program
- Western Governors University Click for Recommended Degree Program
Pediatric Nurse Salary
A pediatric nurse salary will vary from one place to the next depending on cost of living expenses and income median. Usually, a pediatric nurse can expect to make between $48,000 to $68,000 per year depending on their location, experience, and level of education. This is a relatively comfortable salary for just about any location in the United States, making the field doubly rewarding. Good money, a rewarding career, and the opportunity to help children; what could be better than that?
Earning a pediatric nurse salary will allow you to live comfortably. Imagine doing a job you love and earning enough money to have the car you want, a nice home, vacations, money for your children’s college, a secure retirement, and many of your other life goals. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? If you go back to college and get your career training as a pediatric nurse, all of those things can become a reality for you.
Experts say that the medical field is one of the most stable career fields to go into, with a growing number of people who need medical care regularly and a solid retirement plan, pediatric nurses are able to live and work in a well-rounded and sturdy job environment.
Pediatric Nurse Salary: Education Requirements
The first step in earning a pediatric nurse salary is to get the education you need. Before you can do anything else, you have to become a nurse. That requires either an R.N. degree or a bachelor’s degree in nursing (Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, or BSN). Earning an R.N. degree will require around two years of study and clinical practice. You may be able to complete some of your work through online courses, but there will be many clinical requirements that you will have to complete at an on-site facility.
In the medical career, hands-on experience and training is a must. To become a certified pediatric nurse, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree is required. Many colleges offer programs for this level of degree, and getting all of the education you can in this field will greatly increase your overall success as a pediatric nurse.
During your training, you will study some basic education classes including English, communication, science, history, and others. You will also take a variety of medical courses, including anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, human development, nursing science, and many others. Your degree will also include a large amount of clinical practice in a variety of medical specialties. Upon successful completion of your degree, you will be required to pass a licensing exam before you can start working in one of healthcare’s top careers.
After becoming a nurse, you can take additional special classes and pass an exam to become a certified pediatric nurse (CPN) or you can complete an on-the-job internship, which will include classroom and clinical training in pediatric nursing. After you complete your specialization, you can start earning a great pediatric nurse salary.
Pediatric Nurse Salary: Job description
A pediatric nurse is a valuable member of any healthcare team. In this job you will aid the physician by performing a variety of duties including the insertion of IVs and catheters, collecting blood and stool samples, administering medications in a variety of ways, and taking vital signs. You will also be responsible for completing head-to-toe patient assessments, dressing wounds, administering blood, performing CPR, completing basic eye exams, and personally assisting the physician in a variety of procedures.
Some of the more specialized tasks which parents will likely already be somewhat familiar with are well-child check-ups, giving the kids immunization shots, and performing school physicals. As with any other field, you can choose to focus on a more specialized sub-category of pediatric nursing, like treating children with acute or chronic illness as well as performing certain therapeutic treatments.
The working hours are usually flexible and can vary from one facility to another. If you are working in a hospital, you may either work five shifts of eight hours each week or you may work twelve-hour shifts on three to four days per week. If you work in a doctor’s office or clinic, however, you will likely work day shifts only for five days per week.
If you like the idea of working in a challenging, fast-paced career and earning a great pediatric nurse salary, now is a perfect time to start your training as a pediatric nurse. Furthering your education is the first step to take and will lead you to your future, so we’ve made it a little easier for you to narrow down your search. You can check out our top picks for nursing degrees on this page to get you started on your research. If you still have questions or need further guidance, please feel free to contact us! We’re here to help.
Starting your education today is the first step toward your new, rewarding life of tomorrow.
