How do I get into Pediatric Nursing?

[JanaeRaee]

Hello, my name is Raeleen. I have been wanting to become a nurse for a long time now and lately have decided to be a pediatric nurse. The only thing is im not to sure how to start my career to become one. As of right now I don't have any experience in the medical field. The only thing I have is a certficate in medical billing and coding and am also CPR and first aid certified. I would really appreciate the help from someone who is either working in the field or who is attending school. Please help any information is useful.Thank you.

[andreams]

I think the first place you should start is finding accredited nursing schools in your area. They will be able to give you area specific information.

[PedRN86]

Start by finding out how to get into a nursing school. Are there any courses you need to take to get into nursing school? You'll usually need an updated CPR, vulnerable sector screening (police check), and updated vaccinations.

Once you're settled into school, see if you can volunteer at a children's hospital, have a clinical placement in pediatrics, and/or find other ways to work with kids to gain some relevant experience. We have a local pediatric nursing interest group that is open to nurses and nursing students alike - look into if you have any opportunities like that in your area.

Good luck!

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

You need to get into Nursing school first. There is no "pediatric nursing" curriculum. All nursing schools prepare students to be nurses- either LPNs or RNs. Look into the criteria for employment at your local pediatric hospital- if they only hire BSN nurses, try to enroll in a BSN program. While in school, try to get your senior practicum on a pediatric floor or try to work on one as a CNA during school. In my experience, people with connections have a much easier time getting hired directly into peds.

[danielle5454]

I opened this site since the title of the forum caught my attention. One of the fields in nursing which really interests me so much is pediatric nursing. I just so love taking care of children. Raeleen, there are a lot of opportunities to practice pediatric nursing once you became a nurse, so the first step you need to do is to look for an accredited nursing school in your area!

[From_nanny2nurse]

I'm just going to repeating what everyone else is saying by stating that your first goal will need to be getting in to legit nursing school/program. Keep in mind that this process with take several years to complete. It's not something you can simply "decide" you want to do and start applying for positions. You must be an RN/LPNA before anyone can or will hire you.

As for specifics on getting a job in peds as a new grad I think your best bet is to make contacts early on in your nursing program. Peds is a highly sought after specialty and most places require some experience.

[jalsbury]

I am glad I found this thread. I would like to go into peds once I have finished school and I wasn't sure if there was anything more I needed to do other than getting my ADN. Thank you for posting this question and for all the answers you ladies have given, it has been really helpful to me!

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

As a newly licensed LPN, my first job that hired me was a Pediatric home health agency. They had a great support system, and I became trach/vent certified within a month. Fast forward 7 years later, most of my experience has been in Peds: HH, pediatric residential and extended care, Orthopedic Peds.

As a newly licensed RN, I will be working on a PICU...the pediatric hospital hires new BSN grads...they have a great clinical ladder model program at the hospital, which has been working out for the nurses that have worked on the unit as well as in the hospital for years...most were new grads when they started there...spoke to a lot of the PICU nurses when I did a clinical shadow during my interview.

I'm going to echo a lot of the posters..get into an accredited program ONCE you find out what area hospitals are hiring, as well as nationally...you may have to move, or a school may be in another state may interest you, and it may be of suggestion to be as flexible as an asset..a lot of Hospitals desire the BSN route at the top Children's Hospitals...so bear that in mind. And if the hospital respects the clinical ladder model, best chances you can get a job there as a new grad, in my experience.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I am glad I found this thread. I would like to go into peds once I have finished school and I wasn't sure if there was anything more I needed to do other than getting my ADN. Thank you for posting this question and for all the answers you ladies have given, it has been really helpful to me!

You may very well need a BSN depending on where you want to work. I see you are from Illinois... I just briefly checked the New Grad listings on Chicago Children's website and they all require a BSN. The thing with pediatrics is that there are much fewer pediatric jobs than there are adult jobs and because there is usually only one children's hospital in any given area, they have almost no competition and they know it... they can be as selective as they want and they know that they'll always have nurses wanting to work for them.