High School Project Help

[misswannabenurse]

Hi, I'm a high school student interested in becoming a pediatric nurse, and I was hoping some one could answer some questions to help me.

What are the hours of a pediatric nurse, and how do they differ depending on the section of a hospital or in a private practice.

How do you become a nurse practitioner after becoming an RN?

Thank you!

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

The hours depend on your work environment. In a hospital, the hours are 24/7 and as a new grad, it's nights, evenings, weekends, holidays and whatever else management decides to put you on.

In outpatient and private practice, the hours are more regular business hours.

To become a Nurse Practitioner after becoming an RN, you need to enroll in a Master's program. Usually this means you must take the GREs and have at least undergraduate statistics in addition to an undergraduate nursing degree.

[nyteshade, BSN]

I second the above. To be more specific, typically if you work in a hospital you're looking at working 12 hour shifts 3 days or nights a week. This could be 7am to 7pm or vice versa. Other places may have different times. In private practice, you most likely would work Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. This is general info, but usually how it works.

I'm applying to grad school right now to become a NP (not peds, but adult NP). Get your bachelor's degree in nursing to be ready for grad school. Most universities are phasing out their master's level NP programs in favor of the DNP (doctor of nursing practice). Make sure you keep your GPA up in school. Some schools require the GRE exam, but always check the requirements when you are ready.

[misswannabenurse]

Thank you both very much; this information is very useful to me.