Are you interested in becoming a pediatric nurse? Pediatric nurses are RNs who have completed specialized training in pediatrics —that is, working with children and babies. Read on to learn how to become a pediatric nurse.
Pediatric nursing is a challenging specialty. It presents great rewards, but will also have some heartbreaking moments. In order to become a pediatric nurse, you need to first become a registered nurse, and then complete specialized clinical and classroom work in pediatrics. You will gain knowledge and training about the intricacies of working with young patients, including childhood-specific diseases, and the treatment thereof. While compassion and a genuine interest in and desire to help people is a requirement for any type of nursing career, it could be argued that these attributes must be even stronger in those aspiring to specialize in pediatrics, since children are, in many cases, more vulnerable and needy than adults.
How to Become a Pediatric Nurse Video
This is a segment from a program that ABC-7 (Los Angeles) did about Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Pediatric nurses prepare in nursing school, but receive their specialized training in a hospital setting after graduation. The video focuses on the training program that Children's Hospital Los Angeles provides to pediatric nursing, showing both the intense challenges and the extreme rewards of pediatric nursing.
Step 1: Become a Registered Nurse
In order to become a registered nurse, you'll need to successfully complete a program leading to either an Associate's degree or a Bachelor's of Science degree in nursing. After graduating, you'll be required to pass an exam and receive a license to practice as an RN. Your license will be issued by your state's board of nursing.
Step 2: Obtain Specialized Pediatric Nursing Training
- While in nursing school, you probably will have had some clinical experience in pediatrics. After graduation, you'll enter a program that provides formal training in pediatric nursing. These programs are generally sponsored by pediatric hospitals, or the pediatrics departments of large teaching hospitals. You'll receive your clinical experience while working as a nurse in a pediatrics unit and attend courses sponsored by the hospital. There is no standard syllabus, and the training period varies from weeks to months, depending on the sponsoring hospital.https://www.pedsnurses.org/career-center-items/becoming-a-pediatric-nurse.html
Step 3: Become a Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN)
In order to become a CPN, you need to pass an exam offered by one of the two pediatric nursing credentialing bodies, the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board or American Nurses Credentialing Center. Each offers their own exam. The training program at the hospital you are working at will probably determine which of the two exams you take.
References
Fast Facts
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Your first step to becoming a pediatric nurse is to become an RN
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You will also have to receive specialized training, usually both in the classroom and on the job, in pediatric nursing
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Fact:
In order to become a Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN), you will have to pass an exam
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Fact:
Pediatric nurses usually gain on the job training at a hospital
