How Much Education Does a Pediatric Nurse Need?
Pediatric nurses are registered nurses with advanced educational degrees in nursing, and meet state licensing, competency standards and continuing education requirements. Pediatric nurses specialize in health care for children and adolescents in the areas of health maintenance and education, illness prevention, developmental screenings, childhood immunizations, school physicals and minor and chronic illness issues.
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Basic Nursing Degrees
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A pediatric nurse must first become a registered nurse (RN) by completing at least a diploma of nursing administered by a health-care facility or earning an associate degree in nursing from a community or junior college. If a pediatric nurse pursues administrative nursing positions, a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited college or university program is required.
Several nursing programs offer a two-year degree emphasis in pediatrics that qualifies the student to earn a Master's of Science in Nursing, thereby skipping the bachelor's degree. Earning a master's degree allows a pediatric nurse to refer patients to doctors, treat patients and provide primary care.
Although a diploma of nursing or associate's degree is sufficient to become an RN, most states require a bachelor's degree as a requirement in order to become a certified pediatric nurse.
Pediatric Certifications
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The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is a required certification to practice as a licensed nurse in the United States, District of Columbia and U.S. territories. Once a nurse is NCLEX-certified, an additional certification must be obtained to specialize as a pediatric nurse.
The Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) exam requires at least two years of nursing experience to be eligible to take the exam and obtain the certification. The exam consists of 175 multiple-choice questions administered in a three-hour period. Testing is conducted throughout the year. Certification is valid for one year with annual re-certification.
Pediatric nurses can also take additional courses through agencies for further certification, including the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) offered through the American Heart Association or the Emergency Nurse Pediatric Course offered by the Emergency Nurses Association.
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Course Work and Clinical Experience
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Nursing degrees require a combination of classroom instruction and clinical experience. Classroom course work will include chemistry, psychology, behavioral sciences, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, nursing and other sciences. When obtaining a bachelor's degree, additional courses include leadership and critical thinking may be required.
Supervised clinical work takes place on site in health-care facilities like hospitals, nursing care facilities, public health departments or home health agencies. In a hospital setting, clinical experience can be gained in the areas like pediatrics, maternity, surgery or psychiatry.
Upon graduating, most nurses intern in the pediatrics department at a hospital to begin the necessary training to become eligible for certification.
Continuing Education and Re-certification
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In addition to the initial NCLEX certification, most states require continuing education courses for re-certification as an RN. Re-certification is necessary to maintain RN status, which affects the pediatric nurse status because a pediatric nurse must be classified as an RN.
The job
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Certified pediatric nurses can work in hospitals, clinics, public health departments, children's wards or home health agencies. With a master's degree, a pediatric nurse can work in emergency areas, cancer centers or burn departments as well as administrative positions.
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References
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