Depending on where you live, a wide variety of nursery school specialists may be referred to as “nursery nurses”.  As a result, you may find that your duties encompass a wide range of activities, from providing medical care in a nursery setting to overseeing the operations of a daycare facility.  As with many other aspects of pre-school education, you’ll find that the degree and certification requirements for positions in this career path are changing at a rapid pace. 

 

Job Description

 

When you work as a nursery nurse, you’ll be in charge of overseeing many different aspects of a child’s activities.   You’ll be responsible for making sure that they’re fed, clean, and comfortable in their surroundings, and you may be called on to engage them in play activities and to teach them some basic information.   As you might expect, you may also need to fill out reports, gauge the progress of each student and communicate with parents about a wide range of issues.

 

Educational Requirements

 

For the most part, you’ll need at least a high school diploma to find work as a nursery nurse.  If you start out in a training position, you may be required to attend seminars or college classes that will lead to certification as a child care worker.  Part of your training will also be focused on maintaining child safety.  In particular, you’ll be instructed in first aid protocols, as well as CPR and other emergency procedures.

 

You may also find nursery nurse positions with larger daycare centers that lean more towards the medical side of childcare.  Large facilities often keep at least one nurse on hand to handle the cuts, bruises and viruses that inevitably crop up amongst large numbers of children.  If you’re interested in pursuing this type of work, you’ll need to have earned your LPN or RN designation in addition to passing the NCLEX nursing licensing program in your state.

 

Basic Skills

 

In order to work a nursery nurse, you must be comfortable working with children younger than seven years of age.  Of course, this requires a great deal of patience.  In addition, children of this age have short attention spans and you’ll find that some children will not learn as quickly as others.  Therefore, trying to keep everyone on the same attention track will be extremely difficult.  Without question, if you don’t enjoy being around children, this isn’t a good career choice for you!

 

Career Opportunities

 

Depending on your degrees, certifications, and experience, you’ll be able to pursue any number of nursery nurse jobs.  Most job candidates just getting started in the field begin as nursery assistants for small daycare facilities.  Once you’ve worked in these positions for a few years, you may be qualified to lead the nursery or to open your own facility entirely.  You may also find that working in this capacity gives you the drive necessary to pursue a four-year degree in education in order to become a full-fledged teacher.

 

As with many careers, when you work for several years as a nursery nurse, you’ll be able to choose from a wide range of jobs and career options in the childcare field.  While this particular job may be very challenging, you’ll also find that working with young children also comes with a number of rewards.  At the very least, you’ll have an opportunity to help these children grow and develop during some of the most fascinating years of their lives.