Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Career and Education Profile
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Pediatric nurse practitioners perform advanced nursing skills while working with children who are ill or injured and their families.
Job Responsibilities
Nurse practitioners have advanced education, which allows them to take on duties above and beyond what you’d expect from a registered nurse. In many states, nurse practitioners are allowed to prescribe medication, assess patients and develop treatment plans without consulting a doctor, and more. You may also do general nursing tasks such as checking vital signs, communicating with the patient’s family, and recording patient history. Pediatric nurse practitioners work specifically with children, which presents a number of challenges since their bodies are smaller and still developing. As a licensed nurse practitioner, you can also work in a leadership position in the nursing world, serving as a manager or administrator.
Salary and Career Options
According to Payscale.com, pediatric nurse practitioners make an average of $76,778 annually. Before becoming a nurse practitioner in this field, many nurses work as pediatric RNs or work in another specialty, such as surgical or oncology, but specialize in pediatrics. As a pediatric nurse practitioner, you also have the option of working in an education or research role, though these roles typically require additional education.
Educational Requirements
To become a pediatric nurse practitioner, you must first earn a bachelor of science in nursing, or BSN, which you can do through a general BSN program or through an LPN-to-BSN program if you are already working as a nurse. after you’re licensed as an RN with a BSN, you can become an advanced practice nurse by earning a master of science in nursing and specializing in pediatrics. Your classes will cover both general nursing skills and skills specific to pediatric care. In addition to earning a nursing license, you can also seek pediatrics certification through organizations like the Society of Pediatric Nurses.
LPN to RN College Programs
While several schools have online nursing degrees available, few offer LPN to RN programs. What's the good news? We have listed some accredited schools below that do offer the program in addition to schools with other bridge programs available. Find out more information and contact each school by using any of the links below.
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Indiana State University—Indiana State University offers a robust online program designed for LPNs wanting to become registered nurses and earn their BSN degree. Since ISU's credits transfer to over 80 campus majors, this is an ideal program for people wanting to open opportunities for their career down the road. |
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The College Network—The College Network is a partnership with several universities and organizations like the National League for Nursing that focuses on online education and programs, with several courses for nurses or those interested in a nursing career. Specifically, TCN helps students prepare for their PN and RN licensures and move on to earn graduate degrees. |
Other Nursing Degrees
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Walden University—Walden University is typically a graduate school with several masters and doctoral programs available, but they do have BSN and RN to MSN bridge programs available. Walden is based out of Minneapolis and offers several options in transferring your previously earned credits to and from (or even within) the school. |
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Kaplan University—Kaplan University is one of the nation's largest and leading online educators and offers several bridge programs for registered nurses to earn their BSN or MSN degree. If you have previously earned credits, Kaplan makes it easy for you to transfer to any one of their undergraduate or graduate programs. |
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Herzing University—While Herzing University does not offer an undergraduate nursing degree, it is a great choice for working nurses wanting to pursue leadership positions in Nurse Education or Management. With over 10 campuses and 45 online programs available, Herzing has a massive network that makes it easy to transfer to or from the school. |
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