Children’s Nursing involves providing nursing care and family support to children of diverse abilities, ethnicities, backgrounds and ages from birth to 16 years.
Work Environment
This occupation is typically found in the following Career Sector(s):
Videos & Interviews
Videos on the Web
- Childrens / Paediatric Nurse- from: Youtube Search
Working Life
Children’s Nurse training is different from other college courses. From the start of your training you will actively participate in giving care to children appropriate to your level of knowledge and practical experience, with the supervision and direction of a registered nurse.
Throughout your undergraduate training, you can expect to learn new skills and knowledge that will help you support and care for children and their families.
Children’s nurses help children and parents to understand their illness and teach the child and families the knowledge and skills to manage their illness, so that they can live as normal a life as possible.
Children’s Nurses not only care for the child's physical condition but also reduce the anxiety and confusion a child may feel when faced with unusual surroundings. Children’s nurses support children’s emotional, physical and intellectual development by building trust through activities such as play.
Where Will I Work?
Children's nurses are mainly hospital based. When you qualify, you could work in the National Children’s Hospital in Dublin or in regional wards in general hospitals with pediatric units. You may work in neonatal and intensive care units units, surgical units and emergency departments. You may also work in community healthcare in clinics, schools, in children's hospices and a child’s home setting.
You will be part of a multi-disciplinary team with other professionals such as doctors, social workers, occupational therapists, radiographers, physiotherapists and other health and social care professionals. You will also work closely with patients' families and carers.
It is a time of exciting transformation for children’s nursing in Ireland with the building and opening of new national Children’s Hospital in the coming years and publication of Strategy for the future of Children’s Nursing in Ireland 2021-2031.
The HSE is the biggest employer in Ireland for this occupation. Further information from the HSE on the duties and skills for this occupation can be found here.
Further Information
- Children's Nurse- from: N.C.S. [UK]
Qualities - Childrens / Paediatric Nurse
Children’s nursing will appeal to you if you have an interest in healthcare and in caring for and interacting with children and their families.
If you have some of the personal qualities outlined below then children’s nursing is an excellent career choice for you:
- a caring, kind, empathetic and understanding attitude
- being able to get on well with people from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds
- being a good communicator and listener
- having resilience
- being able to act on own initiative
- willingness to take responsibility
Skills and competencies that you will develop during your training and as a children’s nurse include:
- Clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning skills and evidence-based practice to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the role
- Clinical and interpersonal skills to deliver child and family centred, high-quality and safe nursing care in collaboration with the child and family respecting the child’s rights to make decisions
- The ability to plan and organise yourself and your care for children and their families effectively
- Effective communication skills.
- A commitment to providing a quality service and the chance to make a difference from day one.
No two days are the same in children’s nursing and with ongoing training and the support of your team, you will be able to deal with a variety of situations.
Children’s nursing is hugely rewarding with excellent career opportunities. You will be a highly educated professional, with an honours degree. You are guaranteed to make a real difference to people’s lives, through difficult and sad situations.
Interests - Childrens / Paediatric Nurse
This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:
Social
The Social person's interests focus on interacting with the people in their environment. In all cases, the Social person enjoys the personal contact with other people in preference to the impersonal dealings with things, data and ideas found in other groups.
Many will seek out positions where there is direct contact with the public in some advisory role, whether a receptionist or a counsellor. Social people are motivated by an interest in different types of people and like diversity in their work environments. Many are drawn towards careers in the caring professions and social welfare area, whilst others prefer teaching and other 'informing' roles.
Investigative
The Investigative person will usually find a particular area of science to be of interest. They are inclined toward intellectual and analytical activities and enjoy observation and theory. They may prefer thought to action, and enjoy the challenge of solving problems with sophiscticated technology. These types prefer mentally stimulating environments and often pay close attention to developments in their chosen field.
Realist
Realists are usually interested in 'things' - such as buildings, mechanics, equipment, tools, electronics etc. Their primary focus is dealing with these - as in building, fixing, operating or designing them. Involvement in these areas leads to high manual skills, or a fine aptitude for practical design - as found in the various forms of engineering.
Realists like to find practical solutions to problems using tools, technology and skilled work. Realists usually prefer to be active in their work environment, often do most of their work alone, and enjoy taking decisive action with a minimum amount of discussion and paperwork.
Entry / Progression - Childrens / Paediatric Nurse
There are two pathways to becoming a Children’s nurse in Ireland:
- The undergraduate route. The undergraduate route is a 4.5 year integrated General & Children’s Nursing degree BSc Honours Degree in Children’s & General Nursing, consists of both clinical placements and theory. On completion you can apply to register as both a children’s and a general nurse to the NMBI Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland.
- The postgraduate route which is a 12 month Higher Diploma in Children’s Nursing Programme and is available to nurses who have a BSc degree in General, Psychiatric or Intellectual Disability Nursing.
Go to NMBI Careers in Nursing and Midwifery for further information on how to train and register as a children's nurse including:
- Programme: type, purpose, structure and competencies.
- Making an application: including CAO application, Higher Education Access Route (HEAR), Disability Access Route to Education (DARE), allowances and grants.
- Clinical and theoretical components of the pre-reg programme
- Entry requirements: health requirements, Garda Vetting, English competency, non-EU applications. Standard and Mature applications.
Entry requirements for these courses can vary depending on where and how you would like to study, so it is important to check with the particular college.
Application Information from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland
Further Education & Training Entry Pathways
A number of courses are available throughout the country that focus on learning and skills that may be useful for this career. The examples and links below may guide you in your research.
Further Education (FET)
Further Education & Training (FET) Courses are delivered by local ETBs, ranging in duration from several weeks up to 20 months. Courses are designed to meet the labour market needs and often include a large element of work experience.
Example search terms include: nursing studies, healthcare support, community and health services, anatomy and physiology, human growth and development, biology.
Search for FET Courses
PLC Courses (FET)
PLC courses are full-time courses, one or two years duration, with awards at Level 5 and 6 on the NFQ. They are offered nationally in Schools and Colleges of Further Education.
Certain Specific QQI Level 5 Certificate Programmes can provide links to Nursing Degree Programmes.
- Nursing Studies (5M4349)
- Community and Health Services (5M4468)
- Healthcare Support (5M4339)
In all cases places are limited and applicants must have achieved distinctions in five components including;
- Anatomy and Physiology (5N0749)
- Nursing Theory and Practice (5N4325)
- Human Growth and Development (5N1279) or Biology (5N2746)
You can find details of where these courses are run by entering the course titles into the Course Finder from the link below.
Search for PLC Courses
If you are in a PLC course or considering taking one, you can check to see if there is a progression pathway to courses in the CAO system. The following link will list all PLC courses that are related to the Healthcare sector in Ireland. Use the filters on that page to narrow your search as required.
Note: Courses completed at PLC/FET level require specific FETAC awards and modules to meet minimum entry requirements to apply via CAO for a place in nursing under the HELS Higher Education Links Scheme.
Contact the Admissions Office of the individual (EB’s) Education Body or visit CAO Nursing FET- QQI places.
You can also check NMBI Careers in Nursing & Midwifery for any changes.
Higher Education CAO (Undergraduate)
Higher Education courses at Levels 6 to 8 on the NFQ, delivered in Universities and Technological Universities & Institutes. Courses run from 2 – 5 years and places are allocated on a points-based system, processed by the Central Application Office.
The Higher Education route is the most common route for students considering a nursing career. A full list of nursing courses can be found by entering the term 'Nursing' into the Coursefinder from the link below, or following this link for all medical related courses.
Search for CAO Courses
Mature Entry
All candidates are required to apply through CAO. Mature Entry is for those that are 23 years of age or older by 1st January in the year of entry, applicants are also required to sit a test. The Nursing Careers Centre (NCC) of Bord Altranais agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, NMBI) assesses candidates.
Mature entry route is based on applying for a nursing course via www.cao.ie by 1st February or late application date of 1st May. Applicants can also avail of the change of mind facility on CAO up to 1st July. Although it is possible to make a late application to mature nursing, it is not possible to apply late for other mature entry routes. Other mature entry routes should be applied for by 1st February, to ensure they can engage in any mature assessments.
Places are limited and mature applicants must satisfy the minimum entry requirements for the Nursing programme and will also be assessed based on each Colleges [RPL] Recognition of prior learning.
Check out NMBI Mature student guide for more information.
Higher Education (Postgraduate)
Postgraduate courses are courses at Levels 9 and 10 on the NFQ and usually last 1 – 2 years full time, or longer if a PhD or part time. Entrants typically require an undergraduate award (Level 8). A full list of postgraduate nursing courses can be found by entering the term 'Nursing' into the Coursefinder from the link below, or following this link for all medical related courses.
Search for Postgraduate Courses
Career / Professional Development
Once you have qualified as a Registered Children’s Nurse (RCN) you can diversify and progress your career through continued study at graduate level. This can lead to jobs in management, clinical specialist practice, advanced practice, clinical research or teaching at clinical or university level. The National Office of Nursing and Midwifery will provide further information and guidance on supporting your nursing career options. Check out a list of current CPD on offer.
Pay & Salary - Childrens / Paediatric Nurse
Salary Range (thousands per year)* €37k - €51k
Your standard working week will be 37.5 hours on a shift pattern, which can include nights, early starts, evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
Data Source(s):
HSE.ie
Last Updated: March, 2025
Labour Market Updates - Childrens / Paediatric Nurse
This occupation has been identified as a Job in Demand by the most recent National Skills Bulletin.
Note: The following information relates to occupations that include: Nurses and midwives.
This information has been derived from the Solas National Skills Bulletin (2024).
This occupation is the second largest (after sales assistants) across all occupations. Employment growth was above average, with particularly strong growth between 2021 and 2023 (an additional 20,500 persons employed). There was also a high number of recent job hires for this role, reflecting both the employment growth and turnover in roles with short-term contracts. Almost all employed were female (90%) and 37% were non-Irish citizens. This is also reflected in the high number of employment permits, the highest across all occupations, with staff nurses the most common role where permits were issued.
There was a relatively high volume of jobs advertised online (Eurostat/CEDEFOP) and of posts notified to DSP for nurses; difficult-to-fill vacancies in the Recruitment Agency Survey included for staff nurses, theatre, ICU, oncology, and nurse managers. Recent changes to the education/training for nurses has seen additional places on existing courses and new routes (e.g. tertiary programmes and allocated places for students from the Republic of Ireland to study in Northern Ireland) which will go some way to alleviating issues with sourcing nurses in the coming years.
A high demand for nurses is likely to persist and replacement demand alone for such a large occupation will also contribute to continued job openings.
Useful Contacts - Childrens / Paediatric Nurse
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Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director, HSE Dr Steevens’ Hospital
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Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI)
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Regional Nursing and Midwifery Planning & Development Units
