How to hire a pediatric nurse practitioner

How to hire a pediatric nurse practitioner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step pediatric nurse practitioner 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 practitioner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new pediatric nurse practitioner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a pediatric nurse practitioner do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the pediatric nurse practitioner you need to hire. Certain pediatric nurse practitioner roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a pediatric nurse practitioner to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a pediatric nurse practitioner that fits the bill.

   This list presents pediatric nurse practitioner salaries for various positions.

   Type of Pediatric Nurse Practitioner	Description	Hourly rate
   Pediatric Nurse Practitioner	Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners, also referred to as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), coordinate patient care and may provide primary and specialty healthcare. The scope of practice varies from state to state.	$29-80
   Occupational Health Nurse	An Occupational Health Nurse provides and delivers health and safety programs and services to workers and community groups. They manage employee health records and statistics as well as develop and manage emergency procedures.	$23-44
   Licensed Practical Nurse/Supervisor	A licensed practical nurse/supervisor provides care and assistance to patients in a medical facility. A licensed practical nurse works under the supervision of a registered nurse and physician... Show more	$17-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Diagnosis
   • Acute Care
   • PNP
   • Physical Exams
   • Diagnostic Tests
   • Health Promotion
   • Medical Care
   • Disease Prevention
   • Patient Education
   • Advanced Life Support
   • Mental Health
   • Family Education
   • Urgent Care

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Initiate and lead a training program for high frequency oscillatory ventilation.
   • Manage appropriate changes to individualize care plan to ensure cost and time efficacy in an outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation office.
   • Perform advance practice procedures including: lumbar puncture, PICC line insertion, UAC/UVC insertion and endotracheal intubation.
   • Provide assessment, diagnosis and management of acutely ill and injure pediatric patients in an urban emergency department.
   • Return as a new NNP and do clinical.
   • Complete clinical and provide services as a full time NNP.

   More pediatric nurse practitioner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your pediatric nurse practitioner job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A pediatric nurse practitioner salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, pediatric nurse practitioners' average salary in alabama is 40% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level pediatric nurse practitioners earn 63% less than senior-level pediatric nurse practitioners.
   • Certifications. A pediatric nurse practitioner with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a pediatric nurse practitioner's salary.

   Average pediatric nurse practitioner salary

   $102,409yearly

   $49.24 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level pediatric nurse practitioner salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average pediatric nurse practitioner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Alaska	$131,038	$63
   2	California	$129,310	$62
   3	New Jersey	$127,021	$61
   4	New York	$119,061	$57
   5	Oregon	$110,747	$53
   6	Massachusetts	$110,325	$53
   7	Washington	$106,295	$51
   8	Illinois	$101,753	$49
   9	Hawaii	$101,469	$49
   10	Arizona	$101,067	$49
   11	Pennsylvania	$97,776	$47
   12	Texas	$97,435	$47
   13	Maryland	$96,060	$46
   14	Virginia	$95,660	$46
   15	Indiana	$93,313	$45
   16	Colorado	$87,605	$42
   17	Georgia	$86,879	$42
   18	North Carolina	$86,219	$41
   19	Utah	$84,661	$41
   20	Missouri	$80,297	$39

   Average pediatric nurse practitioner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Fairview Health Services	$147,707	$71.01	21
   2	UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital	$140,982	$67.78
   3	Mercy Corps	$140,271	$67.44	6
   4	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$136,833	$65.79	35
   5	St. John's Well Child and Family Center	$136,651	$65.70	1
   6	St Joseph Medical Group	$134,792	$64.80	139
   7	Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network	$132,377	$63.64
   8	Baylor Scott & White Health	$131,847	$63.39	165
   9	Community Health Connections	$129,121	$62.08
   10	The Family Health Centers of Asheville	$128,875	$61.96	15
   11	Terros Health	$128,550	$61.80	6
   12	Private Practice	$128,459	$61.76	80
   13	Phoenix Children's	$126,440	$60.79	33
   14	National Medical Association	$126,337	$60.74
   15	Mee Memorial Healthcare System	$125,869	$60.51	2
   16	Tribeca	$124,994	$60.09	1
   17	The Arora Group	$122,899	$59.09	25
   18	St. Tammany Health System	$121,374	$58.35	6
   19	Summit Medical Group	$120,225	$57.80	2
   20	UTMB HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS	$118,468	$56.96	17

4. Writing a pediatric nurse practitioner job description

   A job description for a pediatric nurse practitioner role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a pediatric nurse practitioner job description:

   Pediatric nurse practitioner job description example

   Details:
   Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-School
   Location: Edgewood, MD
   Shift Time: Days 730a-4p - Full time hours
   Number of Positions: 1
   Compensation: Variable (depends on experience, specialty, facility, urgency, shift time, and location)

   Please note typical travel RN (Registered Nurse) / Allied Health contracts are 13 weeks in length with possible extension. Specific details regarding compensation, patient population / unit details, experience requirements, float requirements, scheduling, weekends, holidays, and call are available upon request.

   Benefits of working with AMS as a Contract / Travel RN (Registered Nurse) or Allied Health professional include:

   • Competitive and negotiable wages: local and travel packages available
   • Win/Win referral program
   • Day one benefits including medical, dental, vision, and supplemental benefits
   • 401k plans - eligible after 90 days of employment
   • Parking and compliance / credential / CEU / licensure / travel reimbursements available
   • Weekly compensation with direct deposit available

   American Medical Staffing is a staffing agency headquartered in Baltimore, MD with a local office in Fredricksburg, VA as well. Our goal is to CREATE an extraordinary experience for our health care professionals. Our roots are nurse owned and operated so we know what clinicians want - lots of options, a smooth and informed placement process, competitive and accurate pay, great customer service and responsiveness to requests, and advocacy when there is an issue. When AMS was founded in 2001, we started our company with a mission to be a better agency than our competitors. We have always put a heavy emphasis into what is best for our employees, not necessarily just our clients or our company. You are not an expense as you may be to a hospital; you are an asset. We take employee advocacy seriously; you are not just a number to us. The end result is that you don`t work for us; we work for you. Since starting in Baltimore, MD, we continue to grow throughout the country. Check out our industry leading reviews on Google and Indeed to see how much our clinicians enjoy working with us!

   Apply online now or for immediate consideration!

   American Medical Staffing (AMS) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find pediatric nurse practitioners for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any pediatric nurse practitioners they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level pediatric nurse practitioners with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your pediatric nurse practitioner job on Zippia to find and recruit pediatric nurse practitioner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit pediatric nurse practitioners, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 practitioner

   Once you have selected a candidate for the pediatric nurse practitioner 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new pediatric nurse practitioner. 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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