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Pediatric Nurse Annual Salary
By Bonnie Walker, allied health world contributing writer
Published: December, 21 2010
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How much do pediatric nurses make?
Pediatric nurse annual salary tends to be quite high because of the demand for qualified professionals with the ability to efficiently and effectively render medical care to children. As with any nursing specialty, salaries for pediatric nurses and pediatric nurse practitioners vary depending on location, years of experience, and level of education and training.Median annual wages for registered nurses, including registered nurses who work as pediatric nurses, was approximately $62,500 in 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle fifty percent of registered nurses made between $51,640 and $76, 570. Those in the lowest 10 percent of earners made under $43, 410, while those in the highest 10 percent took home salaries that exceeded $92,240 a year.
Nurse practitioners, including graduates of pediatric nurse practitioner programs, typically make around $20,000 more in annual salary than a pediatric nurse. In 2008, the median salary for nurse practitioners nationwide was $83,293 per year, with the middle fifty percent of nurse practitioners earning in the range of $76,000 to $90,000.
For pediatric nurses and pediatric nurse practitioners who provide direct care to patients, the job opportunities with the highest earning potentials can be found in hospitals, with jobs in private physician practices, home health care services, and nursing and rehabilitation centers offering slightly lower annual salaries. Nurses and nurse practitioners, including those who specialize in pediatrics, tend to enjoy excellent benefits and bonuses, child care, and flexible work schedules. More than twenty percent of registered nurses, including pediatric nurses, belong to a union.
What is the job market like for pediatric nurses and pediatric nurse practitioners?
Job prospects for registered nurses in general, and pediatric nurses and pediatric nurse practitioners in particular, are excellent. Some parts of the country suffer from a chronic shortage of nursing staff, and demand for well-trained nurses in all specialties is high.The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the number of pediatric nurse practitioner jobs available in the United States to grow much faster than the average at a rate of 22 percent in the ten year period ending in 2018. The result will be approximately 581,500 new nursing jobs in the coming decade, and even more nurses will be needed to replace those who leave the field due to retirement or other reasons. The growth in the profession will be spurred in part by technological and medical advances, as well as an increased focus on preventive health care measures.
The greatest number of new jobs is expected to emerge in the private practice setting. Other settings that will experience increased need for pediatric and other specialized nurses include hospital outpatient facilities, rehabilitation centers, and freestanding ambulatory surgical centers. Although hospitals currently employ the largest number of nurses, the growth rate in pediatric nursing jobs will be slower there because hospital stays are getting shorter and more procedures and tests are being conducted in doctor's offices and other outpatient settings.
