Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides complete information on the job description of a pediatric nurse practitioner, including the key tasks, duties, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

What Does a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Do?

Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (PNPs) are core professionals in the healthcare service sector whose role is to provide advanced nursing service to patients ranging from newborns to young adults of age 21.

They work in pediatric offices, hospitals, clinics, specialty clinics, surgical centers, and other healthcare service providers.

The pediatric nurse practitioner job description involves carrying out diagnoses, interpretation of test results, and treatment of common pediatric illnesses, including acute and chronic conditions.

It also entails providing support to physicians for the achievement of optimal well-being of children in consideration of their family, community, and environmental backgrounds.

Other duties they perform include performing routine developmental screenings, health maintenance care, school physical examinations, and childhood immunizations.

From acquiring advanced training, knowledge and experience in primary healthcare delivery, pediatric nurse practitioners can effectively provide a range of healthcare services, including prevention, chronic, and acute services.

They can therefore practice either in a primary care or acute care centers.

They can also function as a resource, patient advocate, and interdisciplinary consultant.

They work in consultation or under direct supervision of physicians to plan, evaluate, and provide care to both In-patients and Outpatients clients.

Following approved protocols and the direction of the physician in charge, a PNP will carry our clinical procedures.

He/she, having assessed a patient, and with the approval of the physician, can instruct a change of the patient’s care as well as the order for their tests.

At the work place, the pediatric nurse practitioner provides leadership to the whole nursing staff, initiating ideas to improving on the organization’s clinical practices, as well as ensuring a productive team-oriented environment.

He/she shares his/her knowledge with the nursing staff by teaching, helping them solve problems, and reading trends.

The PNP also writes protocols to guide the nursing staff in the discharge of their duties and to be more effective on the job.

The organizations where PNPs work depend on them to continually evolve the care that is provided to patients and their families.

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Job Description Sample/Example/Template

Below is a job description sample for the post of the pediatric nurse practitioner, consisting of major duties and responsibilities they usually perform.

• Assign duties to nursing staff, providing appropriate feedback and assessment of care delivered to ensure that patients’ safety is maintained.
• Ensure therapeutic environment is maintained and infection control procedures are followed.
• Appraise performance level of staff members.
• Carryout complete or periodic health evaluations of clinic specific diagnoses, including medical, cognitive, and psychosocial status, as well as personal assets and shortcomings to learning.
• Perform repeated assessment of patients’ reaction to teaching, discharge plan, and care provided.
• Record and present patients’ progress in relevant charts, and pass on observations and assessment report to all healthcare team members involved, and also patients’ family for them to have a properly understanding of patients’ health condition, progress and medical needs.
• Create effective systems and procedures to enhance the pediatric clinic’s operations.
• Regularly participate in various relevant educational programs to ensure both technical and professional competence are maintained.
• Study appropriate professional publications and participate in the activities of professional societies to be current with industry practices, methodologies, and philosophies.
• Collaborate with the patient’s care team and members of their family to design and carry out a plan for their care, so that proper coordination of care and communication of the patient’s health progress will be maintained.
• Take part in patient care round and conferences.

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Job Description for Resume

The above job description example can also be used in writing a resume for the pediatric nurse practitioner job, especially the professional experience part of the resume.

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Requirements: Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge for Career Success

Employers usually require candidates vying for the pediatric nurse practitioner post to possess the following skills, knowledge, and abilities as requirements to be considered for the job:

• Possess Master’s Degree in Nursing.
• Take and pass a pharmacy course in some States to be eligible for pharmacy privileges.
• Working experience of two or more years as a nurse.
• Working experience of two or more years as a nurse practitioner.
• Experience working in a pediatric clinic.
• Possess current American Heart Association BLS certification.
• Current State Nurse Practitioner certification.
• Possess one year technical training or more skills training for certification and licensure.
• Ability to handle crises situations and relate with patients and their families effectively.