Pediatric Nurse Salary

Nurse Salaries / Pediatric Nurse Salary

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics and Incredible Health, pediatric registered nurses earn an average of $78,713 nationwide (an effective hourly rate of about $38).

This number is just the aggregate salary and does not take into account numerous factors such as geographical location, level of experience, or care setting. Read on to see how pediatric nurse salaries vary state-to-state.

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Pediatric nurse salary by state

Pediatric nurse earnings vary widely depending on the state of practice. This variance is driven by underlying differences in between regions such as cost of living and industry factors like the hiring demand for pediatric RNs.

Pediatric nurse salary by work setting

Pediatric nurses can be found in a wide variety of workplaces. Some of the most common include:

• Pediatrician’s offices
• Home care agencies
• Community health clinics
• Pediatric floors in a general hospital
• Pediatric intensive care units (PICUs)
• Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs)

Your selected area of focus will, in part, determine your pediatric nurse’s salary. In general, you can expect a higher salary for more intense workplaces. Nurses can expect slightly lower wages for lower intensity practice settings like a doctor’s office.

Below are nationwide averages for pediatric RN wages by work setting:

How to improve your salary as a pediatric nurse

Not only do nurses typically have solid base pay, but they also have a lot of opportunity for salary growth. In this section, we’ll go over some ways to help improve your salary as a pediatric nurse.

Certifications can raise your pay

If you have experience working in pediatric nursing and you enjoy working with the population, you might consider becoming a Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN), Critical Care Nurse (CCRN – Neonatal), or a Critical Care Registered Nurse – Knowledge Professional (CCRN-K – Neonatal).

According to the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board, in order to take the pediatric nursing certification exam, you must meet the following requirements:

“You will need a current, valid, unrestricted, and unencumbered Registered Nurse (RN) license in the U.S., Canada, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands or the U.S. Virgin Islands at the time of application, plus:

• A minimum of 1800 hours of pediatric clinical experience completed within the past 24 months as an RN, or
• A minimum of 5 years as an RN in pediatric nursing and 3,000 hours in pediatric nursing within the last 5 years with a minimum of 1,000 hours within the past 24 months (use only if unable to meet the above option)”

Additionally, some employers will pay or reimburse you for the cost of certification. Some may also offer a pay differential for earning a certification in a specialty.

Other factors that affect pediatric nurse salaries

In addition to where you work and whether you choose to earn a specialty certification, there are a number of other factors that influence how much you make as a pediatric nurse.

Education

While only an Associate’s (ADN) is required for initial licensure, it can be advantageous for you to pursue further education. Earning a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or other advanced degrees in nursing can help you qualify for jobs with expanded responsibilities and higher pay.

Experience

The number of years of experience you have as a nurse and in the pediatric specialty will affect the compensation rates offered by an employer. Nurses with less than 5 years of experience can expect salaries on the lower end of the pay range. So, nurses with 10-20 years will be at the top end.

Additional responsibilities

If you are a preceptor to a student nurse or new nurse graduate, you usually make more money. This raise may be about $1-$2 per hour which can really add up.