Travel Pediatric Nurse Jobs

The salary of a registered nurse can vary significantly depending on the experience of the nurse as well as the experience, certifications, and location they are working in. The median salary for a registered nurse was $80,010 per year or $36.22 per hour in 2020 with most earning between $61,630 and $93,590 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Entry-level registered nurse jobs or those with the lowest 10% salary earned around $53,410, while the highest 10% earned more than $116,230. Typically, a travel pediatric nurse job will provide higher pay than permanent positions in the same location.

Pediatric Registered Nurses are responsible for providing direct patient care to pediatric patients. This includes assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating the patient's care. Pediatric nurses work in doctor’s offices, general and children's hospitals, clinical settings, surgical centers, and other health care settings. Pediatric nurses also provide care in schools and other community organizations. Pediatric nurses specifically care for infants, children, and adolescents—mostly patients under eighteen years old. They also work with parents to prepare a child for surgery, administer medications, and provide assistance with special procedures.

Typical Pediatric RN Responsibilities:

• Collect and analyze patient information to assess needs and plan the patient's care

• Conduct physical examinations and assist with the diagnosis of younger patients

• Actively participate in developing individualized treatment plans

• Provide hands-on care to pediatric patients by administering medications, providing emergency resuscitation techniques, performing wound dressing changes, inserting catheters and IVs, etc.

• Educate patients and family members on health topics including but not limited to hygiene, disease prevention, medication administration

• Prepare children for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures

• Maintain accurate records of all aspects of the pediatric patient's care

Patient Ratio

• 1:3-5

Certifications

• BLS, ACLS, PALS or ENPC

Patients

• Post-Surgical

• Diabetics, Ortho

• Cancer

• Transplant

• Pneumonia

• Asthma

• Respiratory Disorders

Education & License Requirements

In order to work as a travel telemetry nurse, Registered Nurses must complete their associate's or bachelor's degree in nursing and take the National Council Licensure Exam NCLEX -RN Exam, which is a requirement to practice as an RN in the United States. Once the NCLEX exam is passed and you meet the board of nursing license requirements in your state, then all that is left is to do is gain the necessary experience in your specialty and explore additional certifications.

Certifications

Common certifications that could be required for nurses working in pediatrics include Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Emergency Nurses Pediatric Course (ENPC) Certification. While certifications for pediatric nursing are optional, becoming certified can help improve their career and compensation outlook. One example is the Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) exam which is offered by the Pediatric Nursing Certification board.

While compensation offers can vary greatly depending on the contract or agency offering, pay packages for pediatric ravel nurses typically have four major components: hourly taxable wages, meals and incidentals, housing, and travel.

Hourly Pay

Full-time nurses working at healthcare facilities receive a salary, but most travel nurse employers offer hourly wages. Every pay package must include a taxable hourly wage, and the amount can vary depending on the shift, location, and specialty required of the assignment.

Housing

Housing payments can be included in a payment from a staffing agency. This is typically offered in two ways. Either the company is providing housing, or the traveler is taking the housing stipend. It is more beneficial for the traveler to take the housing stipend for two primary reasons. First, they will have a choice in where they stay. Everyone’s definitions of comfortable and acceptable are different. The second reason the housing stipend is more beneficial for them is that it can be given as a nontaxable amount.

Meals and Incidentals

Also known as per diems, meal and incidental stipends provide a daily budget for daily living expenses. These standards vary depending on the cost of living in cities and states across the country.

Travel Expenses

Travel is the last portion of the pay package. Many recruiters may not even offer travel and instead put that money into the per diems or housing for their traveler so they are receiving the benefits over the entire contract, not just at the very beginning or end of the contract. While a travel stipend can be used to cover the cost of a flight for the traveler, it is more often than not used to subsidize the traveler’s expenses to and from an assignment. Travel expenses can be offered as a reimbursement rate per mile, though many agencies will opt to offer a flat rate to and from an assignment.

Many pediatric nursing travelers find work through recruitment agencies and marketplaces, which means you have better access to job boards to choose your schedule, location, and salary. When you begin browsing for jobs, be sure to consider the housing options, the benefits, the guaranteed hours' policy, and the recruiting company’s overall reputation.

The good news is that Fusion Marketplace has everything you need when it comes to finding the perfect traveling nursing jobs. Here, you have the freedom to compare benefits, packages, and staffing agencies—all in one place. So find your next job today.