How to hire a pediatric nurse

How to hire a pediatric nurse, step by step

Here's a step-by-step pediatric nurse hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a pediatric nurse job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new pediatric nurse
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a pediatric nurse do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The pediatric nurse hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A pediatric nurse's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, pediatric nurses from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents pediatric nurse salaries for various positions.

   Type of Pediatric Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Pediatric Nurse	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.	$21-56
   Emergency Department Registered Nurse	An emergency registered nurse is first in line for patients who need a response. These nurses are first to respond to emergency cases such as trauma, allergic reactions, and injuries... Show more	$23-64
   Nurse Coordinator	A nurse coordinator is primarily in charge of overseeing all nurses and their activities in a hospital or clinic. Their responsibilities include managing and rotating schedules, assessing nurse performance, organizing nursing programs, and developing strategies to optimize procedures... Show more	$29-49

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Home Health
   • BLS
   • Acute Care
   • CPR
   • Acls
   • Compassion
   • Picu
   • Advanced Life Support
   • Oncology
   • ICU
   • Discharge Planning
   • Critical Care
   • IV

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide continuous telemetry monitoring and managing multiple patients with multiple high-risk medical conditions, utilizing interdisciplinary collaboration.
   • Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
   • Coordinate care for acute and chronic pediatric oncology patients with an emphasis on family centered care and patient education.
   • Certify in ACLS and BLS.
   • Provide excellent patient care to children, showing compassion and nurturing while in office.
   • Function as a staff nurse in a twelve bed ICU caring for patients with various illnesses.

   More pediatric nurse duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the pediatric nurse job description is a good way to get more applicants. A pediatric nurse salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a pediatric nurse in North Dakota may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level pediatric nurse. Additionally, a pediatric nurse with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average pediatric nurse salary

   $72,945yearly

   $35.07 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level pediatric nurse salary

   $45,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

   Average pediatric nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$108,915	$52
   2	New York	$95,094	$46
   3	District of Columbia	$88,492	$43
   4	Nevada	$87,355	$42
   5	Oregon	$87,147	$42
   6	Washington	$86,988	$42
   7	New Jersey	$86,618	$42
   8	Illinois	$81,692	$39
   9	Pennsylvania	$75,577	$36
   10	North Carolina	$75,387	$36
   11	Ohio	$73,628	$35
   12	Louisiana	$72,603	$35
   13	Maryland	$72,271	$35
   14	Connecticut	$71,689	$34
   15	Kansas	$69,928	$34
   16	Massachusetts	$69,461	$33
   17	Tennessee	$69,127	$33
   18	Texas	$68,967	$33
   19	Montana	$68,753	$33
   20	Arizona	$68,676	$33

   Average pediatric nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$108,262	$52.05	2
   2	Soliant	$101,913	$49.00
   3	Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.	$99,761	$47.96
   4	Cottage Health	$99,358	$47.77	33
   5	MAS Medical Staffing	$96,178	$46.24	608
   6	The Arora Group	$95,466	$45.90	106
   7	Medical City Arlington	$93,325	$44.87	163
   8	University of California	$91,884	$44.17	123
   9	trustaff	$91,570	$44.02
   10	Maxim Healthcare Group	$88,781	$42.68	1,682
   11	Tenet Healthcare	$88,642	$42.62	973
   12	Legacy Healthcare	$88,593	$42.59
   13	Wellpath	$88,212	$42.41	573
   14	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$87,441	$42.04	13
   15	Sutter Health	$86,958	$41.81	279
   16	University Hospitals	$84,971	$40.85	62
   17	Aya Healthcare	$84,900	$40.82	177
   18	Express Healthcare Professionals	$84,556	$40.65
   19	Community Health Solutions of America	$84,130	$40.45
   20	Hawaii Pacific Health	$83,463	$40.13	74

4. Writing a pediatric nurse job description

   A pediatric nurse job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a pediatric nurse job description:

   Pediatric nurse job description example

   Job DescriptionJob Description

   Laredo Medical Center's (LMC) Pediatric unit is now hiring a full time (FT) Registered Nurse (RN) to work with the general pediatric population at LMC's 326 bed acute care hospital. The department is a secure, 14 bed unit in the main campus of Laredo Medical Center. Opportunities to cross-train and float to the NICU and other areas of the hospital are available and optimized in periods of fluctuating census. Both units report directly to the Director of NICU. The Hospital is located in sunny Laredo, Texas, just 150 miles south of historic San Antonio. Sign-on and relocation bonuses are available for eligible applicants! Skype or other Virtual Interviewing Processes (VIP) are available for out-of-town applicants.

   *25,000 sign on bonus to eligible RNs*

   -Sign On Bonus! $25,000 dollars-- Relocation Available-- Virtual Interviews-

   Laredo Medical Center's (LMC) Pediatric unit is now hiring a full time (FT) Registered Nurse (RN) to work with the general pediatric population at LMC's 326 bed acute care hospital. The department is a secure, 14 bed unit in the main campus of Laredo Medical Center. Opportunities to cross-train and float to the NICU and other areas of the hospital are available and optimized in periods of fluctuating census. Both units report directly to the Director of NICU. The Hospital is located in sunny Laredo, Texas, just 150 miles south of historic San Antonio. Sign-on and relocation bonuses are available for eligible applicants! Skype or other Virtual Interviewing Processes (VIP) are available for out-of-town applicants.

   Position's Purpose and Essential Functions :

   • Evaluates assigned patients and plans, implements and documents nursing care.
   • Assists physicians during examinations and procedures. Performs various patient tests and administers medications within the scope of practice of the registered nurse.
   • Promotes patients' independence by establishing patient care goals and teaching patients and families to understand conditions, medications, and self-care skills.
   • Relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Reports to aDirector of NICU.

   Minimum job requirements for education and license include an associate's degree, and must be certified as a registered nurse from an accredited school of professional nursing. Must be licensed in the State of Texas. Familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within this particular field.

   Applicants Job Requirements Include:

   • Graduate of an accredited RN program.
   • Internship or 3 months experience as an RN.
   • Letter of Recommendation are preferred for applicants with less than 1 year of applicable experience in nursing.
   • PreferablyNICU/Pedi/Post-Partum experience as an RN, LPN or Nurse Tech
   • Licensed as a R.N. by the Texas State Board of Registered Nurse Examiners. CPR, NRP and STABLE required. Some may be completed within first 90 days of hire cost-free at the Hospital.
   • Must successfully pass any pre-employment assessment(s) required by the facility.
   • Sign-on and relocation available for eligible candidates.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right pediatric nurse for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with pediatric nurses they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit pediatric nurses who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your pediatric nurse job on Zippia to find and attract quality pediatric nurse candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit pediatric nurses, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new pediatric nurse

   Once you have selected a candidate for the pediatric nurse position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new pediatric nurse. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a pediatric nurse?