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What is a Pediatric Nurse?

A pediatric nurse is typically an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) or Registered Nurse (RN) with specialty training in pediatrics.  Pediatric nurses work with infants, toddlers, young children, and adolescents. Given the developmental needs and needs of growing children, pediatric nursing requires a specialized set of skills and knowledge.  PN's work closely with guardians and parents to educate them on proper nutrition, childhood disease awareness, and wellness insights for their child.

Career Summary

MEDIAN SALARY

$75,030

PERCENT ABOVE NATIONAL
INCOME AVERAGE

50.60%

TOTAL SECTOR EMPLOYMENT

56,210

Degree Median Salary vs Adjacent Degree Types

Source: BLS, US Census, and IPEDS

2024 Best Pediatric Nursing Degree

University of Pennsylvania believes that caring for children must be viewed within the context of their psychological, physiological, cognitive and emotional responses. To that end, they offer a top-ranked pediatric nursing degree at the graduate level which provide advanced specialization skills on top of a solid foundation in pediatric care. The Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program that is best suited for those interested in the lifelong view of health and wellness for infants, children and adolescents. They also have a Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program with three concentrations (acute/chronic care, critical care, and pediatric oncology) specifically designed for those interested in pediatric acute care.

Acceptance Rate

7.66

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

Duke University is currently offering a Major in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care. This major under their MSN Program trains pediatric nurses to provide comprehensive primary health care to children of all ages. They structured a curriculum that emphasizes content areas such as management of common acute and chronic pediatric illnesses and health maintenance. Students here receive one-on-one clinical practice experience from diverse settings like community pediatric practices, hospital ambulatory settings and health departments. Additionally, they also offer a major in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care designed to teach students to always meet the needs of infants and children with complex and rapidly changing clinical conditions across acute care settings. 

Acceptance Rate

7.6

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

Vanderbilt University is currently offering a Program in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Specialty. This is perfectly suited for those who aspire to provide high-quality, compassionate care to children from birth to young adults. Students here will be prepared to provide evidence-based care in a variety of pediatric primary care settings. This program educates about health care management, health promotion and disease prevention. 

Acceptance Rate

9.12

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

Emory University proudly offers a program in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care. This program provides one clinical specialty track that includes primary care for children with well-child problems and acute and chronic illnesses. Students who completed this clinical specialty are well prepared to meet the comprehensive health care needs of infants, children, adolescents and their families in different primary care settings. This program begins each year during fall semester. 

Acceptance Rate

15.6

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

University of Michigan – Ann Arbor offers a Program in Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. It is a timely program since the role of the primary care pediatric nurse practitioner keeps on expanding as health systems across the country look to serve the increasingly complex needs of both children and their parents. This program is designed to primarily focus on the overall well-being of children. Almost half of this program’s graduates choose a career in a primary care setting while some pursue careers in subspecialty care. 

Acceptance Rate

22.91

Student to Faculty Ratio

11:1

Boston College offers a program in Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. In this program, students will learn how to work effectively with infants, children, adolescents and their families. They will be taught how to promote wellness, prevent illness, treat common diseases and injuries and conduct well-visit checkups. Those who mentor the students under this program are all practitioners. They train their students to care and advocate for children from various backgrounds and populations. 

Acceptance Rate

27.22

Student to Faculty Ratio

13:1

New York University offers a degree in Pediatric Nursing. This course is designed to provide family theory and nursing process framework for examining families from infancy to adolescence. Few of the things that this program identifies are the individual societal, environmental variables and health care disparities which are related to child rearing and parenting. They aim to deliver nursing care that adapts the unique health and developmental needs of children and their families. 

Acceptance Rate

16.2

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Villanova University offers a Master's and Post Master's degree in Pediatric Nursing. This track is designed to prepare nurse practitioners with extensive clinical practice and role preparation for advanced practice in pediatric primary care. Students will have the chance to work with physicians and nurse practitioner preceptors and will receive access to a wide variety of clinical agencies and practice settings. This program will place their students with preceptors as their mentors and role models throughout the clinical practice experience. 

Acceptance Rate

28.24

Student to Faculty Ratio

11:1

University of Rochester offers a Program in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner degree. The nurse practitioner students who pursue this pediatric specialty are expected to provide high-quality health care to children of all ages across the health continuum, both to health children and those with acute and chronic problems. This program will provide the skills and knowledge that will enable the students to perform well-child care and developmental screening, provide anticipatory guidance and treat common childhood illnesses. Graduates of this program are ready to address behavioral health issues faced in pediatric primary care. 

Acceptance Rate

29.71

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

Case Western Reserve University offers a degree in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Students here become advanced degree nurses that provide primary health care for children from infancy to 21 years of age. They will learn how to diagnose and treat childhood illnesses and provide immunizations, perform physical assessments and much more. The program’s objective is to protect and enhance the health of children. Additionally, they also offer Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Acute Care which focuses on promoting overall health of chronic, acute or critically ill children. 

Acceptance Rate

27.36

Student to Faculty Ratio

11:1

The College of New Jersey offers qualified students access to an array of top-rated nursing degree programs. TCNJ’s School of Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science has undergraduate nursing degree programs in addition to graduate-level nursing studies.  In addition, the school offers a teaching education program plus a study abroad option for those seeking a well-rounded, immersive learning experience.  For additional information on the programs offered at TCNJ, reach out to the admissions team to collect program-specific data.  

Acceptance Rate

49.28

Student to Faculty Ratio

13:1

Texas Christian University offers a DNP Pediatric & Clinical Nurse specialist program.  This will prepare graduates at the doctoral level for advanced practice with a focus on either adult-gerontology or pediatric populations. Their strategy to influence care outcomes is by providing direct patient care consultation for nursing staff. They also implement improvements in health care delivery systems with a particular expertise in evidence-based safety, practice and quality. 

Acceptance Rate

47.12

Student to Faculty Ratio

N.A

Stony Brook University offers a program in Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner through distance education with on-site requirements. This program is tailored to prepare nurses as expert providers of primary health care to children and their families across health care settings. Additionally, they also have an Advanced Certificate Program - Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. This is offered to the Master’s or Doctorally prepared nurse with the ability to continue graduate education while specializing in another clinical area. This program will reflect the State’s and national requirements for certification. 

Acceptance Rate

44.15

Student to Faculty Ratio

18:1

Saint Louis University offers a MSN-NP degree program that is highly respected across academic and professional nursing institutions. Their MSN-NP program was featured among the 2020 Best Online Colleges for value ranking by Guide to Online Schools. US News and World Report. It also consistently ranked as a top school according to US News and World Report’s Best Online Master’s in Nursing survey. The quality of MSN-Np degree program of SLU was also verified when it had been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Acceptance Rate

58.28

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

The University at Buffalo offers DNP Early Assurance Program. This program is designed to provide opportunities for early acceptance to UB’s DNP programs in Adult/Gerontology, Family and Psychiatric/Mental Health for well-qualified undergraduate students who aspire to become a nurse practitioner. Those who wish to apply should have progressed to the final semester of undergraduate study in nursing. Applicants must have achieved a minimum nursing GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. 

Acceptance Rate

61.08

Student to Faculty Ratio

13:1

Union University offers MSN Nurse Practitioner Track. It is a 16-month graduate nursing education curriculum for professional nurses that provides academic preparation as a Nurse Practitioner. There are two available tracks. First is the Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Track, in this curriculum, there is an emphasis on the management of mental health disorders across the lifespan. Second is the Family Nurse practitioner Track, the curriculum for this is focused on the management of acute management, health promotion and chronic management of patients across the lifespan. 

Acceptance Rate

52.72

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

Florida International University recognizes the truth that nurse practitioners have a critical role in our health systems because they make the access to healthcare a reality for millions. With that in mind, they offered MSN Nurse Practitioner Program with four tracks. One of these tracks is the Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. In this track, graduates are prepared as pediatric primary care specialists to diagnose, treat and deliver care for newborns, children and young adults. 

Acceptance Rate

57.51

Student to Faculty Ratio

26:1

CUNY Hunter College has a  Master’s degree Specializations with 5 tracks for students to consider.  The breadth and depth of the programs offered at CUNY Hunter College is one of the reasons the school has landed on our ranking list this year.  Feedback from students, alumni, and healthcare providers around the region help propel the program to new heights.  Get in touch with Hunter College about the various nursing degree programs and start your academic journey today.   

Acceptance Rate

35.17

Student to Faculty Ratio

13:1

Seton Hall University offers an online study for a MS in Nursing Pediatric primary Care Nurse Practitioner. This teaches nurses on how to provide a range of healthcare services which promote wellness, prevent illness and manage health and illness needs of children from birth to early adulthood. There is no specific scope of practice, it will depend on the patient care needs. The expertise of primary care PNP is about disease prevention, health promotion and management of patients suffering acute episodic and chronic health problems. 

Acceptance Rate

73.63

Student to Faculty Ratio

13:1

At Xavier University, students interested in pursuing a future in healthcare can select among a number of highly rated programs.  Specific to nursing, students can consider both undergraduate and graduate-level degree programs at Xavier University.  The College of Nursing continues to advance their robust curriculum with innovative programs to benefit those in and around the tri-state area.  Degree information and admission requirements can be found by reaching out via the school’s primary web portal. 

Acceptance Rate

76.37

Student to Faculty Ratio

11:1

A program for Pediatric Nurse Practitioner is currently offered at CUNY Lehman College. Those interested to take this course must be able to demonstrate the ability to successfully pursue graduate study. Have attained a minimum undergraduate grade average of B in Nursing and in the undergraduate record as a whole. Applicants should also have an unencumbered nursing license as a registered professional nurse and is currently registered in New York State. 

Acceptance Rate

37.78

Student to Faculty Ratio

16:1

You can earn our master’s degree in nursing at Molloy College. Their Graduate Nursing Program offers a Master’s of Science degree in nursing specialties that is pertinent to contemporary nursing. Foundation of core courses will prepare students with a theoretical base and processes that are prior to study in the specific specialty area. The nursing specialty programs that students can choose from are Graduate nursing programs (for registered nurses looking for advanced nursing roles), Post-Master’s Advanced Certificate Program (Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Primary Care), Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Program. 

Acceptance Rate

77.96

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

Marquette University offers a program for Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. This program is designed to apply advanced care for children in complex health situations. Aside from this, they also have a Dual Pediatric Primary Care degree which is structured to impart knowledge and develop skills to impact children’s health no matter the situation. Graduates of this program will be prepared for independent management of both the children and their families who seek health care for complex acute and chronic pediatric health problems.  

Acceptance Rate

82.96

Student to Faculty Ratio

14:1

King College offers a course in Pediatric Nursing with registration as a Children's Nursh BSc.   A course that is designed to provide practical skills and theoretical knowledge to ensure success for its graduates wherever they choose to work. One benefit of choosing this course is that you’ll get to study in London and work at prominent organizations. As a result, students here will surely gain experience with a diverse patient population. 

Acceptance Rate

62.07

Student to Faculty Ratio

12:1

The University of Tennessee offers a graduate certificate program in Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. This program is designed to meet the specialized psychological and physiological needs of children in the areas of health maintenance as well as in assessment and management of disease processes. Additionally, they also offer a Dual (Acute/Primary care) Pediatric Nurse Practitioner degree. This concentration is a hybrid online curriculum with on-campus visits twice per semester throughout the student’s clinical courses in their areas of concentration. 

Acceptance Rate

78.85

Student to Faculty Ratio

17:1

Educational Requirements in Pediatric Nursing

In terms of educational requirements, Pediatric Nursing degree holders will have typically studied a variety of science and social science classes during their tenure. While classes will vary from college to college, the following courses are typically core to a pediatric nurse while in college:

What Does a Pediatric Nurse Do?

A recent survey compiled by the United States Department of Labor provides great insight on daily activities and job responsibilities of pediatric nurses. The top activities of a pediatric nurse working in a primary care environment include:

  1. Performing routine developmental screenings
  2. Managing maintenance care including well-checks
  3. Diagnosing and treating childhood illnesses
  4. Providing coaching and counseling for health concerns
  5. Delivering inoculations
  6. Managing files, data, and patient-specific information
  7. Performing physical examinations
  8. Conducting routine check-ups and well care follow-ups

Pediatric Nurse Job Duties

Job duties of a pediatric nurse will vary from one specialization to another. For example, pediatric nurses working in a large hospital will have differing job duties when compared to a nurse in an outpatient care facility. Likewise, the job duties of a pediatric nurse working in an acute care facility would generally entail the following tasks:

  • Attending to children with chronic illness
  • Analyzing test results and lab results
  • Placing orders for specific medications
  • Providing various therapeutic treatments
  • Performing physical and mental assessments

How to Become a Pediatric Nurse

Step 1 - The first step to becoming a pediatric nurse is to gain academic experience and knowledge in the field. Students may start the process by obtaining a diploma in nursing, ASN, or BSN. The education from an accredited college will allow you to pass the NCLEX-RN and become a licensed RN.

Step 2 - Next, you will need to gain valuable work experience in the field. Seeking specific jobs in pediatrics will help you determine if it makes sense to pursue additional certifications or specialty degrees.

Step 3 - The third phase in your journey is to determine your next academic move. You will need to decide if becoming a Nurse Practitioner in pediatrics or earning an advanced nursing degree is best. Advanced degrees can be obtained in pediatric specialties like acute care, primary care, mental health, or emergency nursing.

Step 4 - You will then work to earn your pediatric nursing certificate through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB). Passing the Certified Pediatric Nurse Examination will signify your expertise and mastery in pediatrics. As such, you can begin work as a pediatric nurse after meeting all state-specific requirements.

What are the Top Qualities of a Pediatric Nurse?

As part of the same survey by the U.S. Department of Labor, pediatric nurses from around the country provided insight into the top qualities necessary to perform the job at a high level. The top 5 qualities of a pediatric nurse include:

  1. Caring for Others The ability to providing care, assistance, medical attention, and emotional support to children and their guardians.
  2. Analyzing Information Knowing what is important and what is not in order to properly translate those findings to related parties.
  3. Problem Solving & Decision Making Analyzing information about a child and evaluating the results help all stakeholders make good decisions.
  4. Documentation & Recording Information The detail-orientation to properly and accurately enter, analyze, record, and maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form relating to a childs health and development.
  5. Obtaining Information The ability to observe, extract, and collect relevant information from important sources.

How Long Do You Have to Go to School to Become a Pediatric Nurse?

The length of time you will attend school to become a pediatric nurse can range from one year to four-years for full-time students. How long you attend college before becoming a pediatric nurse depends on whether or not you have a background in nursing. Since a pediatric nurse is a type of Registered Nurse, you will first need to obtain an RN from an accredited, state-approved college or university.

A degree in Registered Nursing can be earned via BSNs (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) or through bridge programs (LVN to BSN, Accelerated BSN, LPN to BSN, Second Degree BSN) from accredited schools. Likewise, for qualified candidates you may be eligible to simply take the pediatric nurse practitioners certification from entities such as the Pediatric Nursing Certificate Board depending on your experience and state requirements.

After you obtain your RN, you will need to take and pass the NCLEX examination. The NCLEX is a standardized test administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Once you have passed the NCLEX examination and all other state-based requirements, you are eligible to apply for a nursing license in your state of residence.

Where Do Pediatric Nurses Work?

Pediatric nurses provide family-centric care in a wide number of settings. In fact, a pediatric nurse can be directly employed by an organization, be shared between several facilities, or work on a contract basis. The most common examples of where a pediatric nurse can work include: community hospitals, home health care, schools, military facilities, clinics, special needs daycare facilities, primary care facilities, public health agencies, ambulatory clinics, and childrens hospitals.

Employment Specializations in Nursing

Pediatric nurses that earn a degree from an accredited school will typically launch a career in pediatrics. Many will exercise a direct employment arrangement whereby students work for an organization during school and transition to full-time work after graduating. However, some pediatric nurses will choose to utilize their degree in various capacities. With additional training or certifications, a pediatric nurse can specialize further as a child psychiatrist, adolescent nurse assistant, occupational therapist, Registered Nurse, school nurse, infant nurse consultant, LPN, physician assistant, social work, or respiratory therapy.

Pediatric Nurse Job Growth & Career Outlook

Employment growth in Pediatric Nursing is expected to be robust according to surveys performed by Glassdoor, Payscale, and the BLS.  In fact, with the average job growth expected to be six percent, nursing careers are slated to grow nearly three times as fast as the average job.  Specifically, jobs for Registered Nurses are expected to swell by 16% and Nurse Practitioners a robust 31% in the coming 10 years.   Pediatric nurse salary will vary by location, employment type, work experience, and organization from coast to coast.

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