Future pediatric nurse question

[Chelsea2016]

Hi! I am going to school to become a nurse specialized in pediatrics. I am confused about which path to take though. I'm starting at a community college and should I major in child development then transfer to earn my bachelors in nursing at a four year university or should I just major in nursing at the community college and transfer to a four year university? I plan to get my pre reqs done at the community college. I thought if I had an associate degree in child development, I could learn a lot more about children's needs, nutrition, etc.... I cannot afford to spend too much and would like to possibly earn my degree within 5a reasonable amount of money (5-10k). Thanks!

[HopefulRN7]

Nursing programs cover Pediatrics so anything outside of what you learn there will be extra and possibly not specific to what you're actually going to use as a nurse. You will learn child development and all of the stages through the lifespan, nutrition and Pedi specific diseases, etc in your program. I'm a Pediatric nurse and have revisited (rereading textbooks from nursing school) a lot of what I was taught as far as understanding disease process and care planning but a lot of the nursing interventions and skills are learned on the job through experience.

In my opinion your best bet is to find out what you're most drawn to in theory classes and clinicals- Peds was the last specialty I considered as a student and it turns out I absolutely love it. So although now you may have your sights set on Peds, that may change for you if you're open and take the blinders off going into it.

If you do decide on Peds ultimately- PALS is something to definitely consider once you're in the field and most hospitals prefer you to get certified through their program- and a good majority pay for the certification which is a big +!

Good luck to you!

[Chelsea2016]

Thank you!!

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

In the US, no nursing school allows students to "specialize" in pediatrics. You may have an interest in peds nursing, and that's fine, but you'll need to learn all the nursing concepts across the life-span. Assessment, critical thinking, performing nursing skills, pathophysiology, pharmacology. Those are where you should focus your attention to become a well-prepared nurse. You may find that pediatrics isn't the area for you, or you may find another area of nursing you like more. If you want to be a nurse, go to nursing school first. Extra classes in child development may teach you more about general care of children, but won't be helpful or impressive in nursing school (i.e. you're not going to get hired as a nurse on a peds unit just because you took a child development course in college). If elective courses in child development fit into your schedule, than by all means take them, but don't spend extra time and money on them.

If you're considering trying to get a job in pediatrics, consider shadowing a pediatric nurse in the hospital for a couple of shifts to get a feel for the job. It's not all playing games and making children smile. It's the most heart wrenching, painful job I have ever done. One that has significantly and permanently altered my view of the world. Many people enter nursing school thinking they want to work in peds and graduate never wanting to spend another minute on the floor. It may be for you, it may not be. You'll be better served going into nursing school with an open mind and consideration of all the areas of nursing practice.

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

For a BSN you will probably need child development so just do it and get it out of the way.