As humans, our minds and bodies react, process, and heal differently when we are children. The knowledge, skills, and training of pediatric nurse studies and practices are specifically geared toward understanding how injuries, conditions, or illnesses affect children and how to treat them, all within the context of their development. The pediatric nursing specialty focuses entirely on medical care for children (from birth to the teenage years).
Who Works In The Pediatrics Nursing Specialty?
Many people think they are interested in pediatrics because they enjoy kids, but committing your career to studying, helping, and supporting them is another thing. You will have to help them in times of pain, and you may not always be able to fix that pain or heal their illnesses. You will have to work with the family, be compassionate and supportive, and guide them by providing education and resources.
Registered nurses (RNs), nurse practitioners (NPs), and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs) can work in pediatrics. Furthermore, within the umbrella of pediatric nursing are four additional subspecialties:
- Pediatric RN - Pediatric RNs work in hospitals, doctor's offices, community health clinics, and schools. Their work with children can be classified as direct care nursing. Their tasks include routine checkups, checking vital signs, developmental screenings, immunizations, and general illness care (flu, chicken pox, broken bones, etc.)
- Neonatal Nursing - Neonatal nurses primarily work in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). Most pediatric patients in a NICU are infants born premature or newborns with health problems. Their tasks in the NICU all focus on the infants and include: observation, monitoring, and assistance with vitals, milk, infection, and nurturing. They must be compassionate supporters of the parents and be aware of assessing each infant's tolerance for manipulations and therapies.
- Developmental Disability Nurse - Developmental disability nurses work with children with disabilities such as Rett syndrome, Asperger's syndrome, autism, and Down syndrome. Their tasks include educating the family and the child about the disability and any medical equipment that may be a necessary part of their development, helping with daily activities such as eating, dressing, and toileting, and supporting the child to develop independence and communication skills.
- Palliative Pediatric Nurse - Palliative pediatric nurses work with terminally ill children. Their training focuses on supporting the child and the family, guiding them through discussions about death and decisions about end-of-life medical care, and coordinating care with the other medical professionals involved.
There are several valuable certifications available to nurses specializing in pediatrics care. You can click here for a thorough list and subsequent summaries of each.
How Much Do Pediatrics Nurses Make
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) doesn't classify occupation income into specific nursing specialties. It would be particularly complex within the specialty of pediatrics because several different credentialed types of nurse work within it.
Nevertheless, we can take some guidance from the data provided. They reported that for 2021, nationwide RNs earned an average of $82,750 per year or $39.78. That statistic pulls income data from all working RNs in the country from all specialties and industries.
The BLS reports that RNs in specialty hospital settings earned an average of $84,800 annually or $40.77 hourly. Not all pediatric nurses are RNs, however. NPs in specialty hospital settings earned an average of $122,430 annually or $58.86 hourly, and LPN/LVNs in the same setting earned an average of $52,130 annually and $25.06 hourly.
While the data doesn't give you an exact figure for how much you can earn as a pediatric nurse, it gives you an idea of what to expect. If you're looking to maximize your earnings as a pediatric nurse, picking up PRN jobs in pediatrics at hospitals and medical facilities around you is the best.
How to Find PRN Pediatric Jobs
Download the healthcare staffing app, Nursa. It's free and will connect you to hundreds of PRN shifts in pediatrics nursing units around you. Working PRN shifts benefit you because you'll likely earn a higher hourly wage than the typical staff rate. The facilities don't have to invest in training, recruitment, or employee benefits. Working PRN with Nursa can also help you earn more to prepare for an important, expensive life event (weddings, graduations, vacations, family healthcare debts).
They also help aspiring pediatric nurses! Earn your pediatric work experience hours to sit for certification by selecting PRN shifts in pediatric settings. Best of all, Nursa doesn't require a minimum number of shifts worked by clinicians. You'll decide when you want to work, how often, and where.
