Pediatric Nursing Route

[Cruz.Cookie, BSN, RN]

Hello, everyone. I am pursuing my RN and I've been having new ideas. My main goal is to work hands on with people, and help them rather than sitting behind a desk. Getting in the action if you know what I mean. I want to pursue my BSN because thats another tool in the belt that makes you stick out from others in the competitive nursing field. My first question is, will I be able to get in on the action with a BSN degree? and my second is what exactly do I need to become a pediatrics nurse? Do I become a RN, work as an intern in the children's hospital and sit down for the licensure..or is the BSN required also? And anyone whose a pediatric nurse, please share what you have done and your experiences as well. Any suggestions would be awesome, Thank You:bow:

[Kidrn911]

[color=#00ff00]i am a peds nurse with an adn. what type of action are you talking about? i can say with magnet status hospitals it is extremely hard for an adn to get a job. i have 12 years experience with 6 being in a pediatric level 1 trauma center. they don't care, they want me to get my bsn. i don't, i am tired of school, i have a family that i want to care for. nursing is not my life, but a job. i love what i do, but think my experience should account for something, instead of thrown in the trash. i get tired of magnet treating adn and diploma graduates like complete idiots. that would be the first thing i would check for at any hospital. second, make goals of what you want. do you just want to be a staff nurse? do you want to go into education or management? third, think of the future. is it financial feasible for you to go on to get your bsn now? if it is, i suggest you do it. there will come a day where it is mandated.

[Cruz.Cookie, BSN, RN]

Hey there, well I want to be one of the nurses that get to walk around..you know check heartbeats, monitor activity, know blood pressure, weigh in...helping the sick. And I know what you mean..it takes 4 years to get a BSN and school can become tiresome. I don't have a family to care for, so I might as well take the oppurtunity..nothing is easy in ife, hardwork pays off. In the near future I feel that ADN will just be put to the bacckburner and BSN will be the new ADN. They expect higher now.

[RNonelove]

In my opinion it is really competitive to get into nursing school period right now. The best thing to do is apply to both ADN an BSN and take what you can get in. In my opinion an ADN program gives you more hands on skills. BSN you get more theory . But ADN are especially trained to work in the hospital. Getting into a BSN program after your ADN is easy . Not competitive . There are also online programs which would work perfect when you want to work as an RN and go to school .

ADN program definitely do need more credit.the training and classes are excellent and from comparing friends who were in the BSN program. I definitely believe I got a strong foundation.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

My first question is, will I be able to get in on the action with a BSN degree?

A BSN is just that, a degree. It enables you to take the NCLEX-RN.

my second is what exactly do I need to become a pediatrics nurse? Do I become a RN, work as an intern in the children's hospital and sit down for the licensure..or is the BSN required also?

Whether or not you "need" a BSN to be a pediatric nurse depends on the employer. I worked at a Children's Hospital for years and they did not hire any new grad associates prepared nurses. Those who were on staff already were grandfathered in but there was a push for them to get their BSN even though it would not change their role or their salary. AT. ALL. The second part of your question doesn't really make sense to me... "becoming an RN" and "sitting down for licensure" are basically the same thing. You need to take NCLEX-RN (the national licensing exam) before you can become an RN. You can't become an RN and then sit for licensure as you need a license to practice as an RN. You should attempt to do your preceptorship at a pediatric hospital or work as a tech/aide at one so that you have connections. In my experience, that is the only way for a new grad to get into a pediatric hospital.

[alfrnbsn1988]

You do not need a bachelors degree to be a Peds nurse, nor do you need a bachelors degree to be a medical surgical, oncology, orthopedic, OR, ICU or telemetry nurse. A bachelors degree is just continuing your education. Once your get your associates degree in nursing, which will be your RN license, you will sit for your boards. You do not need to have a bachelors degree to site for your boards. Once you have an associates degree in nursing you can get any job anywhere as a RN. Then there you decide if you wanna further your education. Usually you don't make extra money if you have a bachelors degree. You don't hold high positions either.