Pediatric Nurse

Job Description

A pediatric nurse is one who uses his or her knowledge and skills to take care of sick and injured children. From infancy through the late teen years, pediatric nurses care for the children patients and their families.

Most pediatric nurses complete advanced training specifically in pediatrics. They work closely in collaboration with physicians and other health care professionals to provide the best of care to their patients.

Responsibilities

Pediatric nurses can perform all of the functions that other nurses do: physical examinations, measuring of vital signs, obtaining blood and urine samples and facilitating other diagnostic tests.

Nurses with further advanced training may interpret the results of diagnostic tests to identify diagnoses and develop treatment plans.

Because of the special and specific health care needs of pediatric patients, many parents often prefer that their children be treated by nurses and other health professionals who are specialized in pediatrics.

Children’s bodies are constantly growing and changing, and they react in different ways to injury, to illness and even to common medications.

Since they are infants and children, they get scared easily and cannot always communicate clearly what is wrong or “where it hurts.”

Pediatric nurses are trained in how to talk to children to alleviate their fears and put them at ease. They are proficient in how to ask children questions about their health situation.

This allows a more accurate gathering of complete information to aid in the diagnosis and treatment that is best for the child.

In addition to caring for their patients, pediatric nurses spend a great deal of time educating parents and caregivers about the best way to care for their children and to protect and promote their child’s health.

In the case of children with chronic conditions, such as paralysis or juvenile diabetes, pediatric nurses can design home care plans that will help the family meet the needs of their child’s condition.

Promotion of wellness and health education is a big part of the pediatric nursing field. “Ped” nurses frequently staff community health fairs and visit schools to perform wellness physical exams, to assist with immunizing children and to provide routine developmental health screenings when indicated.

The opportunity to play a vital role in a child’s life, when that child needs help the most, makes pediatric nursing a very special vocation.

Skills

Communication	A pediatric nurse must not only convey information effectively, they must be able to interact and communicate with children which takes a certain finesse. They must be able to gather information from patients that might not know how to describe their feelings or symptoms.
Organization	Pediatric nurses have many administrative duties, so they must be organized and maintain to-date records of their patients and keep track of busy schedules. They also need to stay organized to manage their team of nurse assistants.
Assessing	Must be able to determine illness and injury by different methods of exams and inspections since many times their patients are unable to describe their aliments.
Compassion	They must be compassionate and caring since they work with small children and infant, who are susceptible to emotion and easy to effect either positively or negatively.
Emotional Stability	Must be able to cope with the strong realities and emotions that can come with the job. Seeing little children with aliments and injuries can be tough, so you must be too.
Patience	Must be able to keep calm and cool in stressful situations and be able to handle kids and parents that are going through a tough time.

Working Conditions

The skills of a pediatric nurse bring special comfort to children and their parents. When a child is sick or injured and being treated, it is a stressful time for everyone in the family.

Pediatric nurses may work with their young charges in the following places of employment:

Doctors’ offices
Public and private care clinics
Hospitals
Inpatient and outpatient surgical centers
Acute care facilities
Neonatal units
Pediatric critical care units
Pediatric oncology units
Pediatric burn units
Pediatric rehabilitation centers
Public and private schools
Public health departments

Most pediatric nurses work closely with a physician who is also a specialist in pediatric or family medicine.

The duties of a pediatric nurse are similar to the nursing duties in other departments, although the pediatric nurse may have more direct interaction with the patient’s family.

Salary Outlook

$57,457 25^th Percentile

$63,051 50^th Percentile

$70,556 75^th Percentile

$27.62 Hourly

$30.31 Hourly

$33.92 Hourly

Estimated Annual Salary	Average Hourly Wage	Positions Nationwide
$66,640.00	$32.04	311,320

Resources

Advanced Certification Exam

Accelerated Master's Degree

NCLEX-RN

Nursing License

Title	Company	Location	Posted
Critical Care Transport Nurse (Pediatric & Neonatal)	Tufts Medical Center	Boston, MA	02.27.2017
Bachelor's degree is required Certification Required Licensure Required Bilingual Speakers are encouraged to apply. Experience is required Recent experience in the specialty area is required The Pediatric Transport Team at Floating...
Registered Nurse Pediatric Intensive Care RN PICU	Bethesda Health	Boynton Beach, FL	07.21.2017
Bethesda Health is a comprehensive, community-based hospital system that has grown with our community. One of the few remaining not-for-profit health systems in Palm Beach County. Our flagship hospital, Bethesda Hospital East (formerly known as...
Registered Nurse (RN) - Pediatric ICU PRN	Women's & Children's Hospital	Lafayette, LA	07.21.2017
Job Code: 00637-8076 PRN/Per Diem PRN The Pediatric ICU Registered Nurse is responsible for the planning and implementation of total patient care of the pediatric patient. Assists in coordinating direct/indirect patient care with other...
Registered Nurse Pediatric Intensive Care RN PICU	Bethesda Health	Boynton Beach, FL	07.21.2017
Bethesda Health is a comprehensive, community-based hospital system that has grown with our community. One of the few remaining not-for-profit health systems in Palm Beach County. Our flagship hospital, Bethesda Hospital East (formerly known as...
Registered Nurse (RN) - Pediatric Unit NIGHTS	Women's & Children's Hospital	Lafayette, LA	07.21.2017
Job Code: 00637-8047 Full-time Nights (rotating weekends) The Pediatric Staff RN is responsible for the planning, implementing, and assessing total patient care. Will assume charge nurse responsibilities and assist with coordinating...
Registered Nurse (RN) - Pediatric Unit PRN	Women's & Children's Hospital	Lafayette, LA	07.21.2017
Job Code: 00637-8071 PRN/Per Diem PRN The Pediatric Staff RN is responsible for the planning, implementing, and assessing total patient care. Will assume charge nurse responsibilities and assist with coordinating inpatient/outpatient care...
Registered Nurse (Supplemental) Pediatric Immunization Clinic Job	Mayo Clinic - Rochester	Rochester, MN	06.30.2017
Department: Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine A Life-Changing Career Responsibilities: In the supplemental immunization nurse role, the nurse will supplement regular nurse staffing by providing vaccinations in Pediatric Specialty Outpatient...
Clinical Nurse I/Ambulatory - Pediatric Surgery	Carolinas HealthCare System	Charlotte, NC	05.11.2017
Job Req ID: 133586 Position Number: 00143823 Employment Type: Full Time Shift: Variable/On Call Shift Details : 8am-5pm/Mon-Fri (hours may vary) Standard Hours: 40.00 Department Name: Pediatric Surgery...
Staff Nurse - Pediatric ICU	New Hanover Regional Medical Center	Wilmington, NC	07.21.2017
The Professional Registered Nurse/RN works under the direction of the Director, Manager or Designated Leader. The RN functions under that ANA Standards of Performance and adheres to the guidelines of the NCBON. The RN has responsibility and...
RN Pediatric Medical Unit	OU Medical Center	Oklahoma City, OK	07.21.2017
- RN Pediatric Medical Unit (00322-26343) Job Description RN Pediatric Medical Unit(Job Number: 00322-26343) Work Location: United States-Oklahoma-Oklahoma City-OU Medical Center Schedule: Full-time Description Registered Nurse RN...
RN Pediatric PACU	OU Medical Center	Oklahoma City, OK	07.21.2017
- RN Pediatric PACU (00322-25993) Job Description RN Pediatric PACU(Job Number: 00322-25993) Work Location: United States-Oklahoma-Oklahoma City-OU Medical Center Schedule: Full-time Description Registered Nurse RN Pediatric PACU...
RN Pediatric Outpatient Surgery	OU Medical Center	Oklahoma City, OK	07.21.2017
- RN Pediatric Outpatient Surgery (00322-26268) Job Description RN Pediatric Outpatient Surgery(Job Number: 00322-26268) Work Location: United States-Oklahoma-Oklahoma City-OU Medical Center Schedule: Full-time Description Registered...
Registered Nurse - RN - Pediatric Clinic	St Vincent - SCL Health	Billings, MT	06.27.2017
Unit Description Care Site Description St. Vincent Healthcare is part of SCL Health System, a faith-based, nonprofit health care organization.   Interested in making a difference? Then check us out. Our rich heritage and mission, and...
RN - Pediatric (CCH)	Cape Cod Healthcare	Hyannis, MA	07.21.2017
Cape Cod Healthcare is the leading provider of healthcare services for residents and visitors of Cape Cod. With more than 450 physicians, 4,700 employees, and 1,100 volunteers, Cape Cod Healthcare operates two-acute care hospitals, the Cape's...
Clinical Nurse I/Ambulatory - Charlotte Pediatric Clinic Morrocroft	Carolinas HealthCare System	Charlotte, NC	07.12.2017
Job Req ID: 138934 Position Number: 00015417 Employment Type: Full Time Shift: Day Shift Details : M-F 7:45a-6:15p Standard Hours: 40.00 Department Name: Clinic - Pediatric Clinic Location: CPC-...

Critical Care Transport Nurse (Pediatric & Neonatal) Boston, MA Tufts Medical Center
Bachelor's degree is required Certification Required Licensure Required Bilingual Speakers are encouraged to apply. Experience is required Recent experience in the specialty area is required The Pediatric Transport Team at Floating...
Registered Nurse Pediatric Intensive Care RN PICU Boynton Beach, FL Bethesda Health
Bethesda Health is a comprehensive, community-based hospital system that has grown with our community. One of the few remaining not-for-profit health systems in Palm Beach County. Our flagship hospital, Bethesda Hospital East (formerly known as...
Registered Nurse (RN) - Pediatric ICU PRN Lafayette, LA Women's & Children's Hospital
Job Code: 00637-8076 PRN/Per Diem PRN The Pediatric ICU Registered Nurse is responsible for the planning and implementation of total patient care of the pediatric patient. Assists in coordinating direct/indirect patient care with other...
Registered Nurse Pediatric Intensive Care RN PICU Boynton Beach, FL Bethesda Health
Bethesda Health is a comprehensive, community-based hospital system that has grown with our community. One of the few remaining not-for-profit health systems in Palm Beach County. Our flagship hospital, Bethesda Hospital East (formerly known as...
Registered Nurse (RN) - Pediatric Unit NIGHTS Lafayette, LA Women's & Children's Hospital
Job Code: 00637-8047 Full-time Nights (rotating weekends) The Pediatric Staff RN is responsible for the planning, implementing, and assessing total patient care. Will assume charge nurse responsibilities and assist with coordinating...
Registered Nurse (RN) - Pediatric Unit PRN Lafayette, LA Women's & Children's Hospital
Job Code: 00637-8071 PRN/Per Diem PRN The Pediatric Staff RN is responsible for the planning, implementing, and assessing total patient care. Will assume charge nurse responsibilities and assist with coordinating inpatient/outpatient care...
Registered Nurse (Supplemental) Pediatric Immunization Clinic Job Rochester, MN Mayo Clinic - Rochester
Department: Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine A Life-Changing Career Responsibilities: In the supplemental immunization nurse role, the nurse will supplement regular nurse staffing by providing vaccinations in Pediatric Specialty Outpatient...
Clinical Nurse I/Ambulatory - Pediatric Surgery Charlotte, NC Carolinas HealthCare System
Job Req ID: 133586 Position Number: 00143823 Employment Type: Full Time Shift: Variable/On Call Shift Details : 8am-5pm/Mon-Fri (hours may vary) Standard Hours: 40.00 Department Name: Pediatric Surgery...
Staff Nurse - Pediatric ICU Wilmington, NC New Hanover Regional Medical Center
The Professional Registered Nurse/RN works under the direction of the Director, Manager or Designated Leader. The RN functions under that ANA Standards of Performance and adheres to the guidelines of the NCBON. The RN has responsibility and...
RN Pediatric Medical Unit Oklahoma City, OK OU Medical Center
- RN Pediatric Medical Unit (00322-26343) Job Description RN Pediatric Medical Unit(Job Number: 00322-26343) Work Location: United States-Oklahoma-Oklahoma City-OU Medical Center Schedule: Full-time Description Registered Nurse RN...
RN Pediatric PACU Oklahoma City, OK OU Medical Center
- RN Pediatric PACU (00322-25993) Job Description RN Pediatric PACU(Job Number: 00322-25993) Work Location: United States-Oklahoma-Oklahoma City-OU Medical Center Schedule: Full-time Description Registered Nurse RN Pediatric PACU...
RN Pediatric Outpatient Surgery Oklahoma City, OK OU Medical Center
- RN Pediatric Outpatient Surgery (00322-26268) Job Description RN Pediatric Outpatient Surgery(Job Number: 00322-26268) Work Location: United States-Oklahoma-Oklahoma City-OU Medical Center Schedule: Full-time Description Registered...
Registered Nurse - RN - Pediatric Clinic Billings, MT St Vincent - SCL Health
Unit Description Care Site Description St. Vincent Healthcare is part of SCL Health System, a faith-based, nonprofit health care organization.   Interested in making a difference? Then check us out. Our rich heritage and mission, and...
RN - Pediatric (CCH) Hyannis, MA Cape Cod Healthcare
Cape Cod Healthcare is the leading provider of healthcare services for residents and visitors of Cape Cod. With more than 450 physicians, 4,700 employees, and 1,100 volunteers, Cape Cod Healthcare operates two-acute care hospitals, the Cape's...
Clinical Nurse I/Ambulatory - Charlotte Pediatric Clinic Morrocroft Charlotte, NC Carolinas HealthCare System
Job Req ID: 138934 Position Number: 00015417 Employment Type: Full Time Shift: Day Shift Details : M-F 7:45a-6:15p Standard Hours: 40.00 Department Name: Clinic - Pediatric Clinic Location: CPC-...