How Long Does It Take to Become a Pediatric Nurse?

Nurses that want to work with children enter the field of pediatrics. The degree of responsibility depends on the level of degree earned. Typical responsibilities include:

Well-child examinations or health checkups
Diagnosis and treatment of illnesses
Giving immunizations to children
Answering parents questions concerning their children’s health

How Long to Obtain a Nursing Degree

There are a variety of nursing degrees that can be earned. Each one can be used alone or to build on to the next one. In addition, specialties such as pediatric oncology, cardiology, dermatology, or gastroenterology can be earned.

LPN - Licensed Nurse Practitioner - 1 year
ADN - Associate Degree in Nursing - 2 years
RN - Registered Nurse - 2 years
BSN - Bachelor of Science in Nursing - 4 years
MSN - Master of Science in Nursing - 6 years

Step One: Nursing School Admission

Nursing school can be difficult to get into because many people want to go. Most schools have only a certain number of slots that they will fill. After that, students are put on a waiting list. To ensure that you have the credentials to get into the nursing program of your choice, investigate the school thoroughly.

Schools have different admission criteria. Some schools privilege test scores, while others consider a combination of previous grades and community service to be more important. Understanding what the admission criteria are for the school and addressing them before attempting admission is best.

For example, if your grades were not high in school, then consider taking some pre-nursing classes at a local community college to boost your GPA and show the admission representatives that you can do the work. Many nursing programs require the basic classes of English, Math, and Science as prerequisites, so taking one of those would be beneficial.

Begin the admission process early. Make sure all of your application material is received on time. If parts of the application package are missing, you could jeopardize your chance at getting admitted to the program.

Most nursing programs also require a nursing school entrance exam. The three most popular exams are:

NET - Nursing Entrance Test
TEAS - Test of Essential Academic Skills
HESI - Health Education Systems, Inc.

Know which test your school requires and what a passing score is for that particular program. Then, give yourself enough time to prepare for the test.

Step Two: Completing Nursing School

Students must successfully pass all of their classes, usually with a grade C or better. Students take a variety of core classes as well as specific nursing classes. In addition, nursing students must also apply their knowledge in clinicals and practicals.

There is also a lot of reading and writing to be done in nursing school. Students must learn and prove that they have learned the information. In addition, students are constantly tested on the material learned. The reason for all of this is because people’s lives are on the line. Nurses are an important part of health care, usually spending more time with the patients than the doctors. Therefore, nurses need to know their chemistry and biology, as well as math and English, to successfully navigate their academics.

Step Three: Working as a Pediatric Nurse

Once all of the classes have been taken and a degree conferred, students can then apply to doctors offices or hospitals as they choose. Those who like to work with children gravitate toward pediatrics. A general nursing degree allows nurses to work in any field. After that, specialized knowledge comes from hands-on experience in the field with children.

Step Four: Advanced Nursing Degrees

Nurses can go back and earn advanced degrees with specialties, such as becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner. This would be an additional two years or more of nursing school on top of the original four years to earn a BSN.

The outlook for nursing as a career field is very good. In addition, nurses can earn between $35,000-$95,000 depending on location, years of experience and specialty. In addition, nurses have some flexibility in working hours and locations. Some may prefer private practice or hospitals; others might enjoy working directly in people’s homes as traveling nurses. Practicing nurses teach others to become nurses as well.