Specialty question

[apoptotic]

Hey Guys,

I'm interested in becoming a nurse, and then a nurse practitioner in the future. I'm curious to know if I chose a specialty such as Pediatric Oncology, if I would also have the option to practice general pediatrics? Or is the certification specific to practicing only in the oncology field?

Thanks!

[dansingrn]

Nurse practitioners in peds have three education tracks and certifications from which to choose: NNP (neonatal), PNP-PC (primary care), and PNP-AC (acute care). Many children's hospitals employ PNP-PCs to work in their subspecialty areas such as oncology, endo/diabetes, pulmonology, GI, etc. Additionally, our hospital uses PNPs as hospitalists. Additional certifications may be available in the subspecialty areas, but they aren't part of the nurse practitioner education. In my experience, it is possible to be very flexible with the PNP-PC track.