Where do I start?

If you want to become a nurse and work on a pediatric unit, all you need to do is graduate from a nursing program (either an associates degree program which is two years, or a bachelors program which is four years; either one will earn you the degree of RN). After you graduate, apply for a job in a hospital that has a pediatric unit. They may require you to have PALS (pediatric advanced life support) which is like CPR for adults. You will have an orientation period on the unit prior to practicing on your own.

As far as the RN-BSN, that simply means that you have a license to practice as a registered nurse with an associates degree, but are in the process (or have completed) a few extra classes that convert your associates degree to a bachelors degree. Most hospitals don't care if what degree what you have and the difference in pay isn't much.

Assume you want to go to nursing school at your local community college and earn an associates degree--after graduation you can take online classes through an approved program (not hard to find them) and in as little as three semesters, you now have a bachelors degree.

I hope this information helps you. I know when my husband first started looking into nursing school, we were totally baffled by this stuff too.

Hi, NottheTodd322 and welcome to allnurses!

You need to first go to a nursing school where you will earn either an associates or bachelor's degree. More importantly, graduation from a school of nursing allows you to take the licensing exam, the NCLEX. If you pass the NCLEX then you become an RN. There is a difference between the degree you earn from a college (associate, bachelor, master's) and earning the right to sit and take the NCLEX exam. To become a specialist in pediatric nursing you must first have an RN and then find a job as a pediatric nurse where you will receive further on-the-job training.

Here are links for you to explore on how to become a nurse and I've included two links on pediatric nursing for you:

• http://www.discovernursing.com/
• http://www.choosenursing.com/
• http://www.gem-nursing.org/
• http://www.nln.org/careers/resources.htm
• http://www.nursing-school.org/careerinfo.htm
• http://www.discovernursing.com/jnj-specialtyID_126-dsc-specialty_detail.aspx - Pediatric Nursing
• http://www.nursing-school.org/pediatricnurse.htm - Pediatric Nursing

Great question and responses. I moved the thread to the Nursing Career Advice Forum. Good luck!