How To Become A Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
A pediatric nurse practitioner is a registered nurse with an advanced degree and certification who specializes in the field of pediatrics. The job outlook for a PNP is positive, with a growing need for this profession in doctor’s offices, clinics, and hospitals. Average salaries range from $93,000 to $100,000, depending on where you are working and your state averages. These salaries are far greater than those of registered nurses without the advanced degree, making the investment of time and money worthwhile in the long run.
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Education And Training Requirements
The process you will choose to become a certified pediatric nurse practitioner (male or female) will depend on where you are in your career when you begin. If you are a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, you will need to find a master’s in nursing program, but if you have only an associates degree in nursing but are working as a nurse, you can find a bridge program that will help you move from ADN level to MSN level without all the extra steps of getting your bachelors degree first.
If you have not begun your nursing degree, you will need to start by earning your bachelors degree in nursing, and then moving on to a masters program. Before choosing your area of Nurse Practitioner specialties, you will need to complete some general nursing course, such as nursing theories, research methods, advanced practice nursing, and pharmacology. Once these classes are completed, you can choose a specialty to which you would like to dedicate your career. If you aspire to become a pediatric nurse practitioner, you will choose classes that focus on that area of medicine. In your final year of your master’s program, you will complete your thesis, and complete a series of clinical placements to gain practical experience in your specialty.
Becoming Licensed As A Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
A computer-based test is made available by the American Nurses Credential Center; you must pass this test to become a licensed nurse practitioner. You must renew your licensure every five years.
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Job Responsibilites
The duties of a pediatric nurse practitioner are more like those of a doctor than they are like those of a registered nurse. As a PNP, you will complete examinations, diagnose illnesses, and plan treatments. You will work with patients and families to discuss treatment options and offer support. A pediatric nurse practitioner requests laboratory tests and writes medication prescriptions. With all of this, you will be responsible for following up on treatment and scheduling future appointments, as well as planning vaccinations.
The Profile Of A Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
There are some important qualities you should possess and value if you are considering becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner. First, you should have or be able to gain some knowledge of child psychology. You will be working with children ranging from infants to teens, and an understanding of developmental psychology as well as physiology will help you build relationships with your patients.
A pediatric nurse practitioner must be able to work well under pressure and be able to keep a level head during emergencies. An adult dealing with his or her own medical emergency may have no problem staying calm, but when the emergency involves a child, you, as the PNP, may be then only calm and level headed adult involved. With this ability to work under pressure, you must also grasp a firm understanding of process and the ability to work with a team to accomplish a single goal. Much of nursing is about patient care, but a nurse practitioner must also be able to communicate with other professionals to achieve the best possible care for his or her patients.
Employment Opportunities For A Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
As a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, it is easy to imagine a career working in a pediatrician’s office, seeing children for well and sick visits, scheduling vaccinations, and tracking growth and development. Perhaps you imagine yourself working on the pediatrics floor of a hospital, assessing patient intakes, monitoring progress in recovery from procedures, and prescribing medication, treatment, and therapy. These are just a couple of options for a professional in the field of advanced practice nursing.
A pediatric nurse practitioner can handle many of the responsibilities that are often attributed to doctors. This means that public health clinics can save money by utilizing PNP’s in place of, or in addition to, doctors. The salary is lower, but the results are the same. Another environment where you often find a PNP is in the school system. While at one time, you would see a school nurse in every school, today’s education budgets are tighter, and a PNP might travel among a number of different schools, completing sports physicals, treating and diagnosing rashes and sore throats, or checking for lice. Other career opportunities for PNP’s include home nursing, hospice care, urgent care clinics, sports medicine clinics, and more.