The Pediatric Nurse certification indicates specialization in providing nursing care for the pediatric patient. Nurses with this certification are frequently employed in outpatient clinics, pediatric hospital emergency rooms and inpatient settings, and school-based clinics.
In order to take the Pediatric Nurse certification exam, the applicant must be a licensed Registered Nurse with an Associate Degree or diploma from an accredited 2-year RN program.
The RN must have worked at least 2 years in a full-time capacity as a pediatric nurse, with at least 2,000 hours within the past 3 years. In addition, at least 30 hours of continuing education hours should have been completed in pediatric nursing over the past 3 years.
The Pediatric Nurse certification exam is offered throughout the year at testing centers across the United States. The RN has 90 days in which to take the exam after receiving the test admission ticket. The fee to take the exam is $295 for members of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and $395 for non-members.
The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions with 25 of those questions used for pretesting purposes for possible use on future exams.
The exam focuses on testing the RN’s knowledge of pediatric illness and potential complications associated with these diseases.
Nursing interventions for the pediatric patient are also included on the exam. Patient and family education are also areas of focus on the Pediatric Nursing exam.
Pediatric Nurse certification is valid for 3 years. At the end of that time period, the licensed RN must have completed at least 1,000 hours of employment as a pediatric nurse. In addition, at least 75 continuing education hours should have been completed or other educational activities should have been completed as outlined by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
The fee for renewal is $250 for ANA members and $350 for non-members as long as the practice hour and continuing education hour requirements are met. For those who wish to retake the exam in order to recertify, the fee is $295 for ANA members and $395 for non-members.
For more information regarding the Pediatric Nurse certification for the Associate Degree or diploma RN, go to www.nursingworld.org or www.pncb.org.