Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

A pediatric nurse practitioner is an advanced level nurse that works with children. Pediatric nurse practitioners carry many of the same job duties as pediatricians, but they do not have to go through quite as much schooling. If you want to be a part of some of the highest positions in pediatrics, you may want to consider becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner. The process does not take long, and it could lead you to a rewarding career working with children. Here is a closer look at the work of a pediatric nurse practitioner, along with some information about how you could become one in the future.

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Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Job Duties

It is hard to predict what your job duties may be as a pediatric nurse practitioner because every patient will pose a new challenge for you to take on. Most nurse practitioners cover some of the same responsibilities as physicians, including:

• Prescribing medications to treat medical problems
• Documenting the results of examinations for a patient
• Showing patients how to take care of themselves outside of the doctor’s office
• Instructing parents on how to properly care for their children

You will be working with children on a day to day basis, so you may have to administer shots for school or fix the occasional wound from a bike accident. You never really know what is going to come along in this career, but that is part of the fun of it.

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Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Salary Levels

As a whole, pediatric nurse practitioners make pretty good money. This is a specialized field of nursing, and it comes with a high financial reward. If you are planning on entering this profession in the future, you might be pleasantly surprised by the amount of money you could earn within it. Let’s take a look at some of the national averages at the moment so you can see what you might earn:

Salary by Years of Experience

• Less than 1 year: $70,000 per year
• 1-4 years: $73,524 per year
• 5-9 years: $78,499 per year
• 10-19 years: $81,230 per year
• 20 years or more: $94,131 per year

Salary by Specialty

• Pediatrics: $77,337 per year
• Acute Care: $85,957 per year
• Intensive Care Unit: $81,350 per year
• Family Practice: $76,500 per year
• Nursery: $75,000 per year
• Case Management: $83,000 per year
• Gynecology: $71,058 per year
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: $88,190 per year

Salary by Employer Type

• Private Practice: $71,620 per year
• Hospital: $82,604 per year
• Non-Profit Organization: $76,598 per year
• College or University: $85,762 per year
• Company: $81,783 per year

Salary by Industry

• Healthcare: $79,948 per year
• Pediatric Office: $69,924 per year
• Health Care Services: $84,100 per year
• Hospital: $76,884 per year
• Pediatrics: $77,000 per year
• Health Clinic: $77,350 per year
• Acute Care Hospital: $90,000 per year

It is easy to see that this is a well-paying career. Even in your starting year, you will probably be making more money than most RNs make after decades of experience in the medical field. The more dedicated you are to your career, the more money you will make. Thus it is your job to do whatever it takes to succeed in this career from the start.

How to Become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

If you want to become a pediatric nurse practitioner, you will need to start with a bachelor of science in nursing. That will give you the foundation you need to build your nursing education on. From that degree program, you will likely pass an exam to become a registered nurse, and then you can determine if you want to continue with your career. Assuming you do, you will be able to go through a master’s degree program to learn the information you need to work in pediatric nursing. This may be followed up with more certification exams through your state, depending on where you live. If you pass these tests, you should be able to start your career as a pediatric nurse practitioner. The process may take a little bit of time and effort, but that will all be worth it in the end.

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