Pediatric nurse salary is a genuine concern of those who is considering this nursing career. One of the reasons why you would have chosen to be a pediatric nurse is the financial advantage and you should not feel any tinge of guilt for that. So, what is the range of a pediatric nurse salary?

Contents:

• Pediatric Nursing Salary Overview
• Expected Salaries for Different Categories
• Summary of a Pediatric Nursing Salary
• Job Conditions
• Job Overview
• Is It a Rewarding Specialty?
• Factors to Determine a Pediatric Nurse Salary
• Potential Employers and Vacancies

Pediatric Nursing Salary Overview

In mid-2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated that registered nurses (pediatric nurse fall in this category) had a mean salary of $69,670. Besides, Payscale.com reported in September 2015 that a pediatric nurse earned a median salary of $53,444. The majority of these were professionals just like you, who earned in the range between $34,768 to 84,445. Depending on your education, experience and place of work, your salary should lie within the stated median bracket. It is not a cut-and-dry phenomenon since you will find different institutions paying generally less than others and that is why nurses shift jobs looking for greener pastures.

Expected Salaries for Different Categories

The National Health Service (NHS) has a pay structure referred to as Agenda for Change and it vividly defines the amount of pay for each kind of a nurse. All pediatric nurses do not get the same amount of pay; there are those who are paid less and others who receive payments in the highest tier. Salaries are determined by the type of ‘band’ one belongs in. There are factors which are used to determine how much is paid to who as you will learn later. But first, let’s focus on what you should expect for your pediatric nurse salary for each of the bands:

• Band 5
  Here belong the recently qualified nurses who do not have much practical experience. They are mostly undergraduates whose only experience is the internship they had during their training. Their average annual basic pay is expected to begin at $21, 388. This does not factor in bonuses, tips, and overtime considerations.
• Band 6 and 7
  This is a bracket for experienced and senior pediatric nurses. There are specific skills and qualifications to make it here. The range of annual salary lies between $25,783-40,558.
• Band 8a-c
  Experience and skills earn you promotion and that comes with an increase in your prospects. At this level, you will be expected to sometimes work in unsocial hours and this calls for more monetary benefits. You should expect a yearly average salary between $39, 239 to 67,805. Added to tips and bonuses, the gross amount can rise to as high as $84,000.

Summary of a Pediatric Nursing Salary

• Hourly pay: $16.40-37.97
• Expected hourly tip: $116.38
• Hourly overtime: $13.72-59.91
• Annual bonus: $0.00-4,954
• Annual profit share: $1.14-30,576
• Annual gross salary: $34,768-84,445

Job Conditions

Just like any other job, a pediatric practitioner is expected to work under some conditions so as to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. Here are generalized conditions that you have to meet so as to get your check at the end of the day or whichever payment agreement you have made with your employer:

• Private Nurses: their range of salaries widely vary and their terms of work may be severe than someone working in the public docket. Your job will be in private institutions and homes.
• Working hours: it comes down to your role on your working hours. You will have regular hours if your roles do not have to deal with emergencies. However, be embraced to work on unsocial hours since this is a high-pressure career and emergencies do not choose the time they happen.
• Place of work: mostly, you are expected to work within the hospital or clinic. Sometimes you will be called upon to make home visits or take a patient to another healthcare facility in cases of transfers or refers. You may also be expected to travel abroad for conferences and this happens if you are in a senior management level.
• Working arrangement: you have the liberty of choice to work as a full-time or a part-time employee. Part-time arrangements have become common for those who are still studying or have other crucial things to do.
• Freelancing: if you do not wish to be attached to any employer, it is possible to do your own job. You can start a nursing agency or just be a solo operator.
• Where to get opportunities: there are opportunities in cities and towns. Of course, there are fewer in rural areas than in urban centers.
• Ability to manage stress: this is a stressing career and you are expected to manage it well. Besides, you will also be expected to help children and parents deals with their kind of pressure.
• Safety gear: in most cases, uniform and safety wear will be provided by your employer. You are expected to adhere to safety dressing codes at all time to ensure not only your safety but also for the patients and your colleagues.

Job Overview

As a pediatric, you are expected to handle a variety of roles which circulate around children diseases and conditions. Your typical day at work will be assessing children’s medical needs, preparing patients for clinical procedures, keeping track of patients’ recovery, collecting and keeping data on each case, ensuring that hygiene is maintained at all places and times, attending to emergencies, guiding and counseling parents. There is so much in your hands that you may be called upon to give help even at the middle of the night.

Is It a Rewarding Specialty?

If you are planning to major in pediatric as your nursing option, you sure want to know whether it is the right choice for you. Sometimes it is the passion for a career that should drive your choice but it is not such a bad idea to consider other factors such salary. As you have seen, a pediatric professional takes home a considerable salary each year. It may be meager at the start of your career but as you rise the ranks you will find it more rewarding. Of all the nursing domains, a pediatric earns averagely higher than the others. It is a high-pressure choice but that is what is expected in nursing so it is not a bad choice to make after all.

Factors to Determine a Pediatric Nurse Salary

It is not a random decision to earn the salary you get as a pediatric; it is more than what meets the eye. There are lots of considerations that go into such financial decisions. In conjunction with the labor and remuneration guidelines, here are the other considerations:

• Level of education
  As a nurse, salaries are based on your level of education just like it is with other professions. The higher your education level, the more you will get in terms of payment. A certified pediatric nurse expects to get $25.33-48.27 in an hour. If you have an RN certification then your hourly pay stands at $32.
• Experience
  The number of years of practice as a nurse will determine your salary. Here is the yearly median salary breakdown for different years of experience as of September 2015:
  · 0-5 years: $52,000
  · 5-10 years: $59,000
  · 10-20 years: $60,000
  · 0ver 20 years: $67,000

• Location 
  Different states offer different salaries for pediatric nursing professionals. In May 2014, both the West coast and North East paid pediatrics higher than the rest of the regions in the U.S. 5 of the highest paying states by then were Oregon ($82, 940), California ($98,400), Alaska ($85740), Massachusetts ($85,770), Hawaii ($88, 230). The lowest pay was in the following states: Mississippi, South Dakota, Iowa, Tennessee, Alabama, and Kansas with a median annual pay between $33, 740-57,830.
• Industry
  In May 2014, BLS reported that surgical and general medical hospitals to be paying their pediatric nurses at $71, 640 per year. Those employed in offices of physicians made a yearly salary of $63,800. Home healthcare providers took home $67,880 in a year compared to those in nursing care facilities and outpatient centers that made $62, 440 and $ 72, 390 yearly respectively.

Potential Employers and Vacancies

You should want to know who are in your scope of employment in the future. Being a pediatric nurse is such an on-demand occupation so you have to decide the area you want to work. It may be in rural areas or urban centers but here are the general areas you may end up getting a job:

• Nursing agencies: most of these are privately owned or non-profit organizations that help promote children and mothers’ health. There is quite a number in the U.S and they absorb a fair share of pediatric practitioners.
• Voluntary organizations and charities: it is not a must that you start you career in a hospital or clinic. You can choose to volunteer your services to a charity organization. They offer good chances to gain experience before you move to paying job. Indeed, you will have a competitive advantage if in your resume you volunteered for the sake of saving lives and not for money. Employers are seeking personnel that are not driven by monetary motivation but rather the passion and desire to provide healthcare to the society.
• General practice: this is the basic occupation of a pediatric nurse. You can freelance or be attached to a hospital of your choice.
• Private institutions: private clinics and hospitals take in over 25% of all practicing nurses in the U.S. As a pediatric, you have quite a chance to land a job in the private sector. It is more competitive than in the public sector and your competency is the most crucial element to grow your career.
• Travel companies and tourist resorts: To keep their services on demand, courtesy industries such as travel and catering companies would want pediatrics on their employees list. They offer competitive packages and they are worth giving a try.
• Patients’ homes: if you choose a freelancing pediatric vocation, you would find jobs in homes. You have to go around looking for patients and woo them to subscribe to your services. You will be regularly visiting them or when they call for you.

Pediatric nursing salary may not be the only major reason why you should go for this vocation but it is worth a consideration before you make your specialization decision. It is both a demanding and rewarding career. Labor stats in the U.S. show that the registered nurse field is expected to grow by 19% as from 2012 to 2022. The most growth will be expected in children and specialized adult care. This shows that your pediatric option was not misinformed and your chances for a good job are higher than with other specializations.