Just some help for me!

Editorial Team / Admin · Apr 20, 2007

Hello all, some of you might know me, if you dont I'm 17 yrs old, a junior in High school, and my hopefull career is/was a Pediatric RN...untill...a teacher of mine told me about Pediatric Nurse Practioner (spelling??). She said its 6yrs of school but I didnt have much time to talk to her, what exactly is a Pediatric NP? I know its more than a nurse, but what exactly do they do? Is it hard to get a job in this area? I am still confused, just when I thought I had it all figured out, now I'm a confusedstudent again! Any info would help, maybe from Pediatric NPs or just anyone. Thanks!
Brittany

Hello, Brittany,

This can be somewhat confusing even to those who are in nursing school and/or graduated. So, ask any time and we will try to help you.

To become a Nurse Practitioner (NP), one will first become a Registered Nurse (RN).

An NP is an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN). There are 4 categories of specialty APNs: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Nurse Practitioner (NP), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), and Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM).

To become an APN in either one of those 4 areas, one will have to have a Masters Degree in Nursing (MSN).

So, one could go to nursing school for 3-4 years, graduate and take the test to become an RN (test is called NCLEX).

Then, one would go to an APN program in one of the above 4 specialty areas. This takes about 2-3 years on average.

If you are desiring to be a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP), you would go to nursing school and become an RN, work as RN to gain experience (my suggestion), then go to a PNP program. You would graduate with an MSN and be a PNP.

As a PNP, you would take care of pediatric patients, provide health care as the healthcare provider, have prescription privileges, etc. Many work in hospitals and some in clinics. Depending upon one's state, the PNP could have their own practice as well.

Hope this makes sense and helps to answer your question(s). If you have other questions/concerns, please do not hesitate to post here.