How to Become a Pediatric Nurse
How would you like a fast-paced career in which you can help children and make an amazing salary? If you are like most of us, you would like that very much. You can have that type of career by becoming a pediatric nurse. Pediatric nursing is one of the top careers in the healthcare industry. Would you like to know how to become a pediatric nurse? It starts with the same training as for any other nursing career. To get started on this career path, you will first need to earn a nursing degree.
What education is required?
The first step in how to become a pediatric nurse is to get a nursing degree. You can earn either an R.N. or a B.S.N. degree but the higher your degree, the more opportunities you will have. Earning an R.N. degree takes two years of general education and nursing classes. During this time, you will take a variety of classes including English, mathematics, history, communications, political science, psychology, sociology, and arts. You will also take many advanced science classes such as anatomy and physiology and microbiology as well as classes specifically geared toward medical careers including pharmacology, nursing theory, and others. Because of the hands-on nature of the clinical requirements, you cannot get this degree through an online college. The exception to this is for people who are already working as registered nurses. In that case, it is possible to go from R.N. to B.S.N. through an online university.
After you complete your nursing degree, you can become a pediatric nurse by one of two routes. The first is to take pediatric care classes through a college or university and then pass an exam to become a certified pediatric nurse (CPN). The other is to complete an on-the-job internship through your employer. These internships are paid and provide both classroom and clinical training. Once you have done this, you will have completed the requirements of how to become a pediatric nurse.
What you will do as a pediatric nurse
Your duties as a pediatric nurse will be many and varied. As part of your regular duties you will need to insert IVs and perform catheterizations to collect urine samples. You will also perform basic eye exams, take vital signs, record data on patient charts, and perform head-to-toe assessments. Pediatric nurses also administer medications through IVs, intravenous injection, orally, and anally. Depending on the patient, you must also administer blood, perform CPR, dress wounds, and assist the attending physician with a variety of medical procedures.
If you are ready to start an exciting new career in healthcare, now is a great time to start your pediatric nurse training program. By completing the steps of how to become a pediatric nurse, you can help fill the nursing shortage and earn a lucrative pediatric nurse salary of over $60,000 a year. By starting your education today, you can be working as a successful pediatric nurse in as little as two years. So don’t wait, get started on the road to your great new career now.
