So You Want to Become a P
By Cassandra Newell and Jessica L . Spruit
Caring for children and their families is an incredibly rewarding experience for pediatric nurse practitioners ( PNPs ) who minister to infants , toddlers , school-age children , adolescents , and young adults across the continuum of care as integral members of the healthcare system . If you feel called to work in pediatrics and are interested in pursuing additional education to become an advanced practice registered nurse ( APRN ), perhaps the role of a PNP is the right one for you .
PNPs have earned a master ’ s or doctorate degree , completed a required number of relevant clinical hours , and successfully passed a certification exam to have the title of certified PNP . We could not recommend this pursuit more ! We will describe a bit about the role of a PNP and opportunities that may follow this pursuit in the paragraphs below .
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing introduced the APRN Consensus Model in 2008 to describe the licensure , accreditation , certification , and education of each of the advanced practice nursing roles ( National Council of State Boards of Nursing , 2008 ). This model includes a description of the roles , including nurse anesthetist , nurse midwife , clinical nurse specialist , and nurse practitioner . As of 2022 , there were more than 385,000 nurse practitioners in the United States ( AANP , 2022 ). The APRN Consensus Model also describes the population foci for the nurse practitioner , including pediatrics . As of 2022 , there were more than 25,000 certified PNPs ( PNCB , 2022 ).
PNPs may be certified in primary care and / or acute care ( PNCB , n . d .). Acute care PNPs strive to optimize the outcomes of infants , toddlers , schoolage children , adolescents , and young adults with acute , critical , and life-threatening illnesses ( PNCB , n . d .). You may find acute care PNPs working in intensive care units , emergency departments , as hospitalists in pediatric units , and in several specialties , including oncology , neurology , infectious disease , cardiology , and surgery . Acute care PNPs provide care to children who are , or may quickly become , physiologically unstable .
Primary care PNPs care for children and their families from infancy to early adulthood , covering a wide and essential set of primary pediatric health needs . They promote healthcare maintenance , provide immunizations , deliver behavioral counseling , and manage common acute and chronic conditions including asthma , diabetes , and allergies . ( NAPNAP , 2023 ; PNCB , n . d .). Primary care PNPs have the opportunity to establish long standing personal connections with patients and families and provide valuable continuity of care that families need . They provide education to patients to promote their well-being . You may find primary care PNPs working in primary care offices , schoolbased health centers , newborn nurseries , convenient or urgent
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