Are you considering becoming a Peds Nurse but unsure exactly what it entails? Let’s dive in to figure out if Peds nursing is right for you!
What is Peds Nursing?
Peds stands for Pediatric Nursing. These nurses work on the floor in a hospital or in an outpatient pediatric clinic. Patients range in age from birth to 18 years old. For outpatient pediatric nurses, their patients are going to be generally healthy. Coming in mainly for check-ups, physicals, scheduled vaccinations, and common infections. For inpatient pediatric nurses, meaning hospital nurses, these patients are going to be more acutely injured or sick. There are various nurses in the hospital that work with children, for example PICU nurses, NICU nurses, and Labor and Delivery nurses. For this post however, we are going to be focusing on the Pediatric Floor, which is like a med surg floor but for children.
Patient Load
As a peds nurse in California, you will be caring for up to 4 patients at once. Patients on a pediatric floor are going to be more independent than on a Peds ICU floor, aka PICU. Meaning they will likely still be able to communicate and ambulate, or walk age appropriately of course. Often, being a pediatric nurse means caring for the patient, but also for the parents since they are likely going to be at the bedside as close to 24/7 as possible.
Peds Nurse Job Description
For each of your 4 patients, you are responsible for performing a head-to-toe assessment. In addition, you will be administering medications that are both scheduled and as needed (aka PRN medications). You will be doing a lot of age-appropriate education for your younger patients, as well as educating the parents more in depth. Pediatric nurses monitor vital signs and carry out all doctors’ orders.
Peds Nurse Skills
Pediatric nurses need skills very similar to med surg nurses, however there are going to be more size variations as patients’ height and weight vary. For example, catheter sizes are likely going to be smaller, and medications need to be calculated differently for smaller humans according to their height and weight. Peds nurses have a very gentle touch both physically and demeanor wise as these patients are likely going to be scared and not want any sort of painful medical intervention, even when it’s for their own good.
Peds Nurse Salary
Pediatric Nurses pay varies by state, location, and hospital. According to ZipRecruiter, Peds Nurses in California on average make about $37.02 per hour, equating to $76,997 per year. Nationally, peds nurses make about $85,533 per year.
So, What Makes a Good Peds Nurse?
A good pediatric nurse is someone who is very calm and gentle. They are comfortable being watched during every assessment and IV insertion by the patient and their family. Peds nurses have a way of explaining treatments and procedures to kids that makes them calm and confident with what’s going on. They maintain autonomy for all patients, even when it seems like there’s no room for it. Pediatric nurses can calculate medication doses specific for each patient and always double check their med math as to prevent any errors.
Want to Know More…?
Are you interested in learning more about Peds/PICU Nursing? Head on over to the Specialty Nurse Interview Series to Meet Hannah, a PICU/Peds Nurse, Meet Nicole, a Peds Nurse, and Meet Nahla, a New Grad PICU Nurse!
Do you want to be a Peds Nurse? Comment below!
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- What Makes a Good NICU Nurse?
- What Makes a Good Labor and Delivery Nurse?
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