Become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

You will find pediatric nurse practitioners working in clinics, hospitals, doctor's offices, schools and community-based health settings. When it comes to primary care, pediatric nurse practitioners provide a broad range of health care services to their patients:

• Well-child examinations
• Routine developmental screenings
• Diagnosis and treatment of common childhood illnesses
• Delivery of immunizations
• Guidance regarding common child health concerns

Although they practice in a wide variety of health care settings, PNPs often work in pediatric intensive care units (PICU). Among their acute care duties, PNPs perform the following specialty services:

• Caring for children suffering from chronic or critical illnesses
• Performing in-depth physical assessments
• Interpreting results of lab and diagnostic tests
• Ordering medications and performing therapeutic treatments

As advanced practice nurses, pediatric nurse practitioners hold a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree with a specialty in pediatric care and a registered nursing (RN) license.

In many states, you must attain certification before you can practice as a PNP, and even in states without this requirement it's highly recommended in order to compete for the best career opportunities. Certification typically involves fulfilling education and experience requirements and passing a certification exam from the following agencies:

To a large extent, PNPs influence the health of future generations through their advice, treatments and family education. Another advantage of the job? Strong earning potential. According to SalaryExpert.com, pediatric nurse practitioners can earn between $80,000 to $120,000 per year, depending on the city they work in. Of course, your experience and nursing credentials will also impact your income and career opportunities.

Pediatric nurse practitioners promote and advocate for children's health through education, funding and research—as well as lobbying Congress to promote legislation beneficial to their patients. If you are interested in a rewarding career providing health care to children, take a closer look at what it takes to become a pediatric nurse practitioner, and start your search for the right PNP training program for you.

^{Sources:
PNCB, 2009
NurseCredentialing.org, 2009
SalaryExpert.com, 2011}