How to Become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
You usher your 7-year-old son into the door of the pediatric clinic, feeling lucky to have gotten an appointment this morning. He’s had a fever for the last day and a half and a new cough that worries you.
When you’re called back into an exam room, a pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) introduces themself to you and your son. They take time to ask him how he’s feeling and take a close look in his ears and throat. By the time you leave, your son has an antibiotic prescription for strep throat, and you’re feeling relieved that he’ll be better soon.
Pediatric NPs — like the one in this example — are essential clinicians, helping young patients get the care they need. These medical professionals have been around since the ’60s, filling in the gaps to meet underserved patient needs. It’s projected that the U.S. will soon face a shortage of 50,000 physicians, with low-income and rural areas disproportionately affected. Pediatrics NPs are especially essential in these regions, where their presence helps keep care accessible.
We’ll give more context to this role, explaining common PNP duties, typical salary expectations, and the steps to pursue a pediatric nurse practitioner career.
What Is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner?
Pediatric NPs are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who provide medical care for infants, children, and adolescents in acute and outpatient medical settings. PNPs assess and diagnose patients, gather patient histories, and educate families. They help provide consistent, accessible healthcare, and improve patient outcomes with a holistic approach to pediatric medicine.
It’s important to note that PNPs can independently assess, diagnose, and prescribe medications for patients. In some states, they work under the supervision of a physician, while in other locations they can have their own practices. In fact, amidst a growing shortage of medical providers in many areas, their work has been shown to significantly improve patient satisfaction and access to essential medical care.
What Does a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Do ?
If you’re thinking about pursuing a pediatric nurse practitioner career, these are some of the tasks you might expect to do:
Pediatric assessments: Kids aren’t just small adults — a pediatric nurse practitioner brings a specialized knowledge and skill set to their assessments. In outpatient pediatric offices, PNPs evaluate children as they progress through growth milestones and track their overall health. This might include screening for genetic or developmental disorders, assessing for mental health risks, and taking in family dynamics and history.
Emergency care: In pediatric emergency departments, PNPs perform assessments, create care plans, and delegate to other members of the healthcare team.
Diagnosis and treatment: PNPs diagnose and treat common illnesses, injuries, and chronic conditions specific to pediatric patients, prescribing medications and therapies as needed.
Preventative care: Pediatric NPs educate parents and caregivers on nutrition, developmental milestones, vaccinations, and more to help children grow strong and healthy.
Collaborative care: As a pediatric NP, you’ll work with other members of the healthcare team, such as physicians, physician’s assistants (PAs), pediatric RNs, and aides, to give patients the best care and support.
Complex disease management: In inpatient units, PNPs work to manage children who have complex and chronic health problems.
Ongoing disease monitoring: Some schools employ PNPs to work closely with high-needs children, ensuring their care plans are accurate and they get the medications they need.
Where Do Pediatric Nurse Practitioners Work?
Pediatric NPs work wherever children get healthcare, and they can specialize in specific areas of pediatric medicine. These are some of the clinical areas where you can find pediatric NPs:
- Family medicine clinics and private practices
- Pediatric specialty clinics
- Children’s hospitals
- Pediatric emergency departments
- Home health companies
- Pediatric med-surg units
- Pediatric intensive care units
- Neonatal care units
- School health clinics
- Public health offices
- Telehealth firms
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Salary and Job Outlook
The average nurse practitioner salary is $128,490 per year in the U.S. Your pediatric nursing salary will depend on your experience, certifications, facility, and the area you live and work in. For example, the highest-paying states for nurse practitioners are:
The job outlook for nurse practitioners is bright — the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 45% growth for this position in the next decade, which is much, much faster than the average for all other occupations. That’s an addition of over 123,000 jobs to the current market.
How to Become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner: 5 Steps
Follow these five steps to become a pediatric NP. If you’re already a working RN, you can skip to step three.
Step 1: Complete Nursing School
The first stage of becoming a nurse is going to either a four-year nursing program for your bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) or a two-year program for an associate degree in nursing (ADN). The BSN is preferred in acute care settings, but there are bridge programs if you want to get your nursing degree faster and go back to school to become a nurse practitioner. Either way, nursing school is a challenging, yet rewarding path.
Step 2: Pass the NCLEX-RN
After graduation, you can take the licensure exam for RNs. NCLEX-RN stands for National Certification Licensure Exam for registered nurses, and once you pass it, you’re legally able to practice.
Step 3: Gain Experience in Pediatrics
To advance your skill set in pediatric medicine, you’ll want to get experience on a pediatric specialty unit. In some institutions, you may be able to find a new graduate nurse job in pediatrics, but don’t get discouraged if you have to get experience in adult medicine first. Once you’ve gained some training, getting a pediatric nurse certification can help you build a strong foundation.
Step 4: Get Your Advanced Practice Degree in Pediatrics
To become a nurse practitioner with a specialty in pediatrics, you have two options — a master’s degree in nursing (MSN) or a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP). The DNP is a terminal degree, meaning it’s the highest level of education a nurse can have in that specialty, and it’s better if you want to go into nursing leadership. On the other hand, an MSN is a faster (and potentially less expensive) option.
Step 5: Earn National Certification
Once you’ve completed a graduate nursing degree, you’ll need to become nationally certified to practice as a nurse practitioner. Depending on where you want to practice, you might pursue one or more of these certifications:
- Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care (CPNP-PC)
- Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certification (PPCNP-BC)
- Acute Care Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (CPNP-AC)
- Pediatric Primary Care Mental Health Specialist (PMHS)
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