Pediatric Nursing Certification
Pediatric nurses care for children. They work in hospitals, emergency rooms, clinics, doctors' offices and for home health agencies. All nurses learn at least a little about pediatric nursing in nursing school but some go on to specialize in that field. They seek out additional training and education in pediatrics. Advanced practice nurses like nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists may specialize in pediatrics in graduate school. Pediatric nurses may also choose to become certified in their field.
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Certifying Organizations
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A number of organizations certify pediatric nurses and nurses can become certified by more than one organization if they choose. The American Nurses Credentialing Center certifies registered nurses, nurse practitioners and clinical nurse practitioners in pediatrics. The Pediatric Nurse Certification Board certifies registered nurses as pediatric nurses and certifies nurse practitioners as primary care pediatric nurse practitioners and acute care pediatric nurse practitioners. They also certify advanced practice nurses in child and adolescent behavioral and mental health. The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing certifies registered nurses as pediatric emergency nurses.
Requirements for Certification
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Requirements for certification vary depending on the certifying organization and the type of certification desired. In most cases, nurses must be licensed as registered nurses in the state in which they practice. For some types of certifications, nurses must hold advanced degrees. Nurses usually must have some experience working in pediatrics. They usually have to attend some continuing education classes in the field of pediatric nursing, as well. Nurses must pass an exam in order to become certified.
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Benefits of Certification
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Nurses do not have to become certified as pediatric nurses in order to work in the field of pediatrics. Certification demonstrates that nurses have education and training in the field and that they have a certain amount of knowledge related to their area of certification, though. Certified pediatric nurses may have more job opportunities than nurses that are not certified and they may command higher salaries.
Training for Certified Pediatric Nurses
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All nurses must complete a certain number of continuing education hours each year in order to maintain their licenses, although the number of hours varies from state to state. Pediatric nurses often choose to attend educational programs related to pediatrics. To maintain certification as pediatric nurses, nurses may need to attend classes related to pediatrics, as well. Many organizations offer continuing education programs for pediatric nurses. For instance, the Emergency Nurses Association offers training in pediatric emergency nursing. The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners offers training on subjects such as pediatric and adolescent gynecology and concussion management.
Jobs for Certified Pediatric Nurses
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Certified pediatric nurses are qualified to work in a number of jobs. They may work in hospitals, on general medical-surgical floors, in pediatric intensive care units, in other specialized units or in emergency rooms. They may work in clinics or in doctors' offices. They may work for home health care agencies, treating children in their own homes. They may work in child and adolescent psychiatric units. They may work in schools or day care centers. They may work in residential treatment facilities.
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