You love nursing. You love traveling. You love kids.
Put those three together, and you’ve found the perfect job — a pediatric travel nurse.
You really can have it all when it comes to travel nursing.
We’ve put together a guide answering all your questions about how to become a traveling pediatric nurse. Read below for those answers and more.
Table of Contents
- What Is Pediatric Travel Nursing?
- 5 Types of Pediatric Travel Nurses
- How Do You Become a Pediatric Travel Nurse?
- Who Is the Best Candidate for Pediatric Travel Nurse Jobs?
- What Are the Pros (and Cons) of Pediatric Travel Nursing?
- How Long Are Pediatric Travel Nurse Assignments?
- How Much Do Traveling Pediatric Nurses Make?
- Top 10 Cities for Pediatric Travel Nurse Jobs
- Interested in Pediatric Travel Nurse Assignments? Let the Experts at Trusted Nurse Staffing Help You Find the Position That’s Right for You
What Is Pediatric Travel Nursing?
Are you a nurse who loves the thrill of adventure, but also your career working in Peds? Travel RN jobs might be just what you’re looking for.
Pediatric travel nursing combines the expertise of a pediatric nurse with the benefits of being a travel nurse — new places, new assignments, and new experiences.
Pediatric travel nurses are a special breed of nurses — often requiring resilience, quick thinking, and the ability to hold back tears.
These specialized nurses usually complete advanced training in pediatrics and work closely with physicians and other health care providers. They collaborate together and are dedicated to the health of children.
As a pediatric nurse, you’ll perform many of the same duties as other nurses like …
- Measuring vitals
- Taking blood
- Performing other diagnostic tests
… but you’ll also be focusing on the special health care needs of children while communicating with their parents.
Pediatric nurses can:
- Alleviate fears of children and parents
- Handle tough situations; and
- Communicate well with the pediatric team
Bonus …
As a Pediatric travel nurse, you get to work with a staffing agency (like Trusted Nurse Staffing) and do these things while also getting to:
- Explore new parts of the country
- Meet new nurses
- Gain new medical experiences
- Boost your resume
5 Types of Pediatric Travel Nurses
#1: Pediatric RN
A Pediatric RN usually works with children in doctors’ offices and in hospitals.
Your primary role in a doctor’s office would be to provide routine checkups for children of all ages. In a hospital, your role would be to administer care according to the child’s nursing care plan.
A Pediatric travel RN’s duties may include:
- Taking and monitoring vital signs
- Communicating with parents
- Helping families cope with the stress of an illness
- Providing routine checkups for children
- Performing developmental screenings
- Giving immunizations
- Treating illnesses
#2: Neonatal Nurse
A neonatal nurse provides care and support for newborn infants who are born:
- Prematurely
- With birth defects
- With infection; or
- Having heart deformities.
Travel neonatal nurses usually work in a hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Your duties as a neonatal nurse include:
- Taking and monitoring vital signs of babies in the NICU
- Working with premature babies and families, helping them to adjust to life outside of the mother’s womb
- Informing parents of their baby’s progress
#3: Developmental Disability Pediatric Nurse
Developmental disability pediatric travel nursing includes helping a wide range of pediatric patients. These children often have disabilities that affect a child’s ability to learn and perform basic life skills.
Developmental disability nurses work with children with disabilities such as:
- Down syndrome
- Autism
- Rett syndrome; and
- Asperger’s syndrome
Your duties as a developmental disability pediatric nurse may include:
- Assisting with feeding
- Assisting with bodily functions
- Educating and supporting parents
- Developing a child’s communication skills
- Educating children and their parents about medical equipment
- Helping children achieve independent mobility
#4: Pediatric Palliative Care
Pediatric palliative care nurses provide care for terminally ill children.
You’ll work to help relieve their suffering and ensure the best quality of care through the living, dying, and family grieving processes.
Pediatric travel nursing in this field includes duties such as:
- Communicating clearly to parents
- Coordinating care with other healthcare professionals
- Staying with the child to identify and maintain care
- Assisting with medical equipment
#5: Pediatric Endocrinology Nurse
Pediatric endocrinology nurses help children with a variety of endocrine disorders.
These disorders include:
- Diabetes
- Thyroid disorders (hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism)
- Early-onset of puberty
- Delayed puberty
- Growth hormone deficiency (short stature)
- Turner syndrome
- Tumors
You would often work with children and teenagers with delayed physical and mental developments.
Your duties could include:
- Working with doctors to develop, implement, and assess treatment plans
- Maintaining records to track progress
- Performing physical assessments
- Inserting catheters
- Drawing blood for lab tests
- Educating children and their parents
- Monitoring the effects of medications
How Do You Become a Pediatric Travel Nurse?
Becoming a pediatric travel nurse has never been easier.
There are four basic steps to becoming a pediatric travel nurse:
- Earn an RN nursing license from an accredited nursing school.
- Pass the NCLEX-RN.
- Work at least one year in a professional setting.
- Obtain any specialty certifications for your desired role.
Step #1: Become a Registered Nurse
If you’re just beginning your career search and wondering how to become a traveling pediatric nurse, know that the first step is the same for any nursing position — become an RN.
You need to graduate from an accredited nursing program with an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Your schooling may take 2-4 years depending on the requirements and your commitment.
Then, begin studying to get your license.
Step #2: Pass the NCLEX-RN
You’ve graduated from nursing school. You’re one step closer to becoming a pediatric travel nurse.
The next step — pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN).
Good study habits and techniques are key for passing the exam.
Check out these tips from fellow nurses on how to pass the first time:
- Understand the NCLEX-RN format
- Don’t self-evaluate during the test
- Find ways to manage test stress
- Know your NCLEX-RN study style
- Make a study plan
- Hone your test-taking skills
- Invest in test prep resources
- Go beyond the practice questions
- Prepare for exam day
- Believe in yourself
Step #3: Gain Experience
You’re a licensed RN. Next up — experience.
Find an internship that allows you to work alongside a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner or a pediatrician. A peds internship is usually about 12 weeks long and involves both practical training and classroom learning.
Once you have practical experience working alongside a pediatric specialist, begin applying for pediatric nursing positions.
You’ll typically need at least one year of pediatric nursing experience before applying to pediatric travel nursing positions.
Whether you’re new on your travel nursing job search, or you’re a seasoned professional, Trusted Nurse Staffing can help. We can help you find your dream job as a pediatric travel nurse.
Step #4: Obtain Special Certifications
When it comes to pediatric travel nursing, special certifications are often required. When not required, it’s often a good idea to have certain certifications to boost your resume and to prepare for different areas of pediatric nursing.
In particular, a Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) certification greatly increases your employability, enhances career mobility, and may raise your compensation. You can apply for this certification once you have over 1,800 hours of career experience as a pediatric nurse over 24 months.
Who Is the Best Candidate for Pediatric Travel Nurse Jobs?
To succeed in pediatrics, you have to have:
- Some of the fastest critical thinking skills
- Good instincts; and
- The ability to follow your gut.
If you have a hunch something doesn’t look quite right, you don’t have time to sit on it.
Of course, you also should:
- Identify symptoms from a crying or unresponsive child
- Identify signs of abuse
- Have patience
- Be able to comfort a child and their parents
What Are the Pros (and Cons) of Pediatric Travel Nursing?
Looking for a rewarding career that offers both adventure and stability?
Pediatric travel nursing offers both — plus an endless number of pros and very few cons.
As a pediatric travel nurse, you can enjoy an in-demand career, while also enjoying:
- Great pay and benefits
- Con for those who want a traditional annual salary
- Endless adventure
- Con for those who prefer staying in one place
- Professional growth
- Con for those who prefer one long-stint employer
- Freedom and flexibility to have a family
- Con for those who don’t want to travel with family
- High demand locations
- Con if these areas don’t appeal to you
- Avoiding work politics
- Con for those who don’t like to be the “new nurse”
- Affordable housing
- Con for those who like to pack heavy and want to have a forever home right away
- Resume building
- Con because it takes more effort to keep up to date with new experiences and places of employment
- Meeting new people
- Con because you may miss your hometown friends and family
- Trying new specialties
- Knowledge is power and never a con
If you love these pros, then a pediatric travel nurse lifestyle might be a great fit for you.
Trusted Nurse Staffing can help you find the best travel nurse path for you. Contact us today, and we’ll help you get started on your new adventure.
How Long Are Pediatric Travel Nurse Assignments?
Pediatric travel nurse jobs typically last 13 weeks.
At the end of an assignment, you are free to:
- Accept another placement
- Take some time off between assignments; or
- Possibly get an extension on your current contract
How Much Do Traveling Pediatric Nurses Make?
As a pediatric travel nurse, salary can range from $2,300 to $2,700 per week. A 16-week extended assignment can earn you up to $43,200.
Salaries can vary by state and facility. When you work with your pediatric travel nursing recruiter, you’ll have access to salary information for assignments to help you make an informed decision about your placement.
Top 10 Cities for Pediatric Travel Nurse Jobs
Besides the high pay, traveling is one of the biggest perks of pediatric travel nursing.
Combining those two perks, consider these cities that are known as great travel nurse assignments that also typically have higher pay:
- New York, NY
- St. Lewis, MO
- Houston, TX
- San Antonio, TX
- Fort Worth, TX
- Dallas, TX
- Miami, FL
- Fort Myers, FL
- Los Angeles, CA
- Boston, MA
Interested in Pediatric Travel Nurse Assignments? Let the Experts at Trusted Nurse Staffing Help You Find the Position That’s Right for You
Pediatric travel nursing is a dream job — and we can help turn that dream into a reality.
At Trusted Nurse Staffing, we:
- Help you fully customize your resume for the position you want.
- Listen to your goals, interests, and availability.
- Create a tailor-made list for you of possible assignments.
- Submit your resume to your top choices.
- Consult with you on all offers to ensure you get what you want.
- Act as a go-to for any needs or questions during an assignment.
- Continue to assist with negotiations and extensions.
- Help you choose your next adventure when it’s time.
Are you ready to begin a great adventure in pediatric travel nursing? Click below to create your free profile. We’re waiting to help make your travel nursing dreams a reality.