Is a pediatric nurse the same as a pediatric nurse practitoner?
No. A pediatric nurse is an RN who works on the pediatric unit of a hospital, or in a pediatric out-patient clinic. I suppose that you could call a nurse who works in a community pediatrician’s office a pediatric nurse, but that is not the custom in our locale. Don’t ask me why. A pediatric nurse practitioner has taken additional training to diagnose and treat common pediatric ailments and to do physical examinations on children. A PNP usually operates under the supervision of a pediatrician, but the latitude he or she is allowed to work independently varies somewhat from state to state.
