Why Become A Pediatric Nurse?
Lydia just loves children. She finds them cute and adorable. During clinical duty, she liked how nurses there get to mingle with cute babies every day. That is why she plans on becoming a pediatric nurse in the future. She feels that it’s the right profession for her, but is it really? Is being fond of children enough to convince her to enter the nursing profession, and more importantly to specialize in pediatrics? Why should one become a pediatric nurse? What are the benefits?
Child factor
Getting along well with children is the most important reason to pursue a career as a pediatric nurse practitioner. According to Scrubs Magazine, pediatric nursing professionals have clever techniques for winning over their young patients, including “making saline syringes into water guns, blue gloves into inflatable chickens, and tourniquets into the best sling-shots ever seen.”
As a pediatric nurse, you get to interact with young patients, who need both physical care and psychological support. Also, providing for the needs of children and their families creates a special bond that enriches the nursing experience. By specializing in children, pediatric nurses avoid some of the less desirable aspects of working with older patients since some adult patients may become violent and may be more demanding.
Job options
As a pediatric nurse there a number of job options to choose from. You can work in settings that include hospitals, schools, doctors’ offices and clinics. Those in hospitals usually work with a specific category of patient. You can also work as a general pediatric nurse wherein you provide care to patients in the children’s ward.
Some pediatric nurses work in intensive care units and care for critically ill children or work in emergency rooms. You can also go for pediatric rehabilitation, where you can help children rehabilitate in anticipation of returning home.
Salary benefits
Being a pediatric nurse can be beneficial in terms of practical reasons. Regularly, registered nurses can make up to $60,000 per year. However, a pediatric nurse can command a salary of $60,000 to $70,000 per year. Nurses who choose to specialize, such as becoming a Pediatric Nurse, can expect nearly $10,000 more per year in compensation.
Flexible schedule
What most nurses like about the job is its flexibility. Unlike others who work from Mondays to Fridays, 9am-5pm, as a nurse you can choose to work any number or type of shifts, allowing you to enjoy time with your family or to take long weekend vacations. Additionally, pediatric nurses working in hospitals can receive additional benefits. Take for example, additional certifications allow you to be a specialized provider that can choose his or her own schedule. While in group settings, you can work with the other nursing staff to ensure you have the work life balance you need.
Demand for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
With the relatively small number of pediatric nurse practitioners, compared with other nurse practitioner specialties, is helpful for these professionals, pediatric nurse practitioners face less competition and more opportunities than other specialists in the market place. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics claims the job growth for nurse practitioners (all concentrations) is 34 percent from 2012 to 2022.
Job satisfaction
As a pediatric nurse, you are able to help those most vulnerable to the psychological challenges that accompany a battle with illness. By providing physical and psychological support, you will be able to feel a sense of fulfillment, which results in a high level of job satisfaction. In terms of using their skills, pediatric nurses also help people return to healthfulness and achieve positive results, which further boosts their job satisfaction. Another thing that can add to job satisfaction is that you get to work side by side with co-workers in a nurturing and a noncompetitive environment.
Nursing provides a lot of opportunities for nurses. In return, nurses must choose the specialization closest to their heart. By merging their passion and profession, they would not only enjoy working, but they would also be motivated to exert their best efforts and to work towards positive work outcomes, benefiting both their selves and their patients.
Sources:
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/advantages-being-pediatric-nurse-32585.html
Liane Clores, RN MAN
Currently an Intensive Care Unit nurse, pursuing a degree in Master of Arts in Nursing Major in Nursing Service Administration. Has been a contributor of Student Nurses Quarterly, Vox Populi, The Hillside Echo and the Voice of Nightingale publications. Other experience include: Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, Obstetric, Emergency and Recovery Room Nursing.
