Top 12 Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Skills to Put on Your Resume

Excelling in pediatric nursing takes a nimble braid of clinical precision and warm, age-savvy care. Naming the strongest pediatric nurse practitioner skills on your resume signals you’re not just qualified—you’re ready to change outcomes for kids and families, one thoughtful decision at a time.

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Skills

1. Pediatrics
2. Neonatology
3. Immunization
4. Lactation Consultation
5. Developmental Screening
6. Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
7. Electronic Health Records (EHR)
8. Basic Life Support (BLS)
9. Patient Education
10. Triage
11. Pharmacology
12. Telehealth

1. Pediatrics

Pediatrics covers the health and development of infants through adolescents—preventive care, acute problems, chronic conditions, all of it tailored to growing bodies and minds. Pediatric Nurse Practitioners bring advanced training to deliver comprehensive, age-appropriate care from birth to young adulthood.

Why It's Important

Children aren’t small adults. Pediatric care addresses unique physiology, growth patterns, and family context—so prevention is smarter, diagnoses are sharper, and treatments fit the stage of life.

How to Improve Pediatrics Skills

Level up with a blend of evidence, practice, and family-centered communication.

1. Keep current with guidelines and research: Follow organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics for updates and clinical pathways.

2. Commit to ongoing education: Maintain specialty certifications and pursue advanced coursework through groups like the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board and NAPNAP.

3. Strengthen family-centered communication: Practice techniques that invite questions, validate concerns, and align plans with family goals.

4. Use technology well: Patient portals, decision support, and registries can tighten follow-up and improve outcomes.

5. Advocate for kids’ health: Engage in community, school, and policy efforts that widen access to preventive and developmental services.

Small, steady improvements ripple outward—better processes, safer care, healthier kids.

How to Display Pediatrics Skills on Your Resume

2. Neonatology

Neonatology zeroes in on newborns—especially premature or medically fragile infants—addressing respiratory support, thermoregulation, feeding, infection risk, and early development.

Why It's Important

Those first days can swing quickly. Expertise in neonatal stabilization, family guidance, and coordinated care sets the stage for growth, safety, and long-term development.

How to Improve Neonatology Skills

1. Deepen specialty education: Seek coursework and conferences through the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) and similar groups.

2. Master core procedures: Maintain Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) skills; practice common NICU interventions under expert supervision.

3. Team dynamics matter: Huddle effectively with neonatologists, RTs, lactation, and social work to tighten care plans.

4. Support families: Use trauma-informed, family-centered approaches; connect parents with NICU family support programs.

5. Drive quality: Participate in unit QI projects and data collaboratives such as the Vermont Oxford Network to close gaps and standardize best practices.

How to Display Neonatology Skills on Your Resume

3. Immunization

Immunization primes the immune system to recognize and fight specific pathogens, protecting individual children and strengthening community immunity.

Why It's Important

Vaccines block outbreaks, prevent complications, and keep clinics and schools safer. Timely doses, fewer hospitalizations, more resilient communities.

How to Improve Immunization Skills

1. Educate clearly: Offer evidence-based, jargon-light explanations and personalized risk–benefit discussions for every family.

2. Make access easy: Offer walk-ins, extended hours, and reminder systems; leverage Vaccines for Children when eligible.

3. Track and nudge: Use EHR prompts and registries to flag gaps and trigger reminders for upcoming or missed doses.

4. Address hesitancy with empathy: Listen, reflect, correct myths gently, and provide follow-up resources.

5. Partner locally: Coordinate with schools and community programs to run clinics and education sessions.

6. Stay updated: Review schedules and recommendations at least annually and when mid-year changes hit.

How to Display Immunization Skills on Your Resume

4. Lactation Consultation

Lactation consultation supports breastfeeding through latch assessment, milk supply troubleshooting, pain management, and feeding plans that fit each dyad’s realities.

Why It's Important

Better nutrition, tighter bonding, fewer infections. Good lactation support can transform early feeding from struggle to steady routine.

How to Improve Lactation Consultation Skills

1. Advance your training: Pursue coursework toward IBCLC or advanced breastfeeding education; refresh annually.

2. Refine communication: Use motivational interviewing and practical demos; normalize common hurdles.

3. Shape a breastfeeding-friendly setting: Align with Baby-Friendly principles; streamline skin-to-skin, rooming-in, and timely follow-up.

4. Blend in telelactation: Offer virtual visits for early, frequent touchpoints—especially post-discharge.

5. Build a network: Collaborate with IBCLCs, OB, pediatrics, and peer support groups such as La Leche League.

How to Display Lactation Consultation Skills on Your Resume

5. Developmental Screening

Brief, standardized checks spot risks for developmental, behavioral, or social delays—so referrals and interventions don’t lag behind a child’s fast-moving milestones.

Why It's Important

Early identification changes trajectories. With timely services, kids gain skills sooner and families get support when it matters most.

How to Improve Developmental Screening Skills

1. Use validated tools: Incorporate instruments like ASQ and M-CHAT on schedule, at minimum 9, 18, and 24/30 months, plus whenever concerns arise.

2. Center the family voice: Integrate parent observations and concerns; provide clear next steps.

3. Standardize workflows: Build EHR prompts, scoring automation, and easy referral pathways to early intervention.

4. Train regularly: Refresh on tool administration, cultural considerations, and differential diagnosis.

5. Collaborate broadly: Connect with early intervention, school services, therapists, and community programs for smooth handoffs.

6. Track outcomes: Audit completion rates and referral follow-through; close loops with families.

How to Display Developmental Screening Skills on Your Resume

6. Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)

PALS training prepares clinicians to recognize and manage pediatric emergencies—stabilization, resuscitation, rhythm management, and crisp team communication.

Why It's Important

In crises, seconds go loud. PALS closes the gap between recognition and action, lifting survival and neurologic outcomes.

How to Improve Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Skills

1. Review new guidance: Sync practice with the latest American Heart Association updates and algorithms.

2. Drill with simulation: High-fidelity scenarios sharpen both hands and heads—airway, code flow, debriefs.

3. Refresh on schedule: Take periodic updates before skills fade; practice between renewals.

4. Train as a team: Practice closed-loop communication, role clarity, and leadership under pressure.

5. Keep quick references handy: Use checklists and pocket aids to reduce errors in the moment.

How to Display Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Skills on Your Resume

7. Electronic Health Records (EHR)

EHRs are digital charts that centralize histories, meds, labs, growth data, and care plans—helping teams coordinate and act faster with fewer misses.

Why It's Important

For pediatric care, EHRs power safety checks (weights, dosing), track immunizations, and enable proactive outreach. The right build turns data into prevention.

How to Improve Electronic Health Records (EHR) Skills

1. Customize for pediatrics: Enable growth charts, weight-based dosing tools, vaccine forecasting, and age-specific norms recommended by pediatric bodies.

2. Integrate across settings: Support interoperability with hospitals, schools, and specialists to reduce duplicated tests and delays.

3. Train continuously: Offer focused refreshers on templates, smart phrases, and order sets that actually save time.

4. Guard privacy: Enforce strong access controls and HIPAA-compliant workflows—especially for adolescent confidentiality.

5. Engage families: Use portals for results, education, and secure messaging; deploy automated reminders for visits and vaccines.

How to Display Electronic Health Records (EHR) Skills on Your Resume

8. Basic Life Support (BLS)

BLS for pediatrics covers CPR, choking relief, and AED use adapted to infant and child anatomy and physiology.

Why It's Important

First on scene, first to act. Competent BLS buys time and preserves brain function until advanced care arrives.

How to Improve Basic Life Support (BLS) Skills

1. Renew regularly: Keep certifications current through healthcare-focused courses from recognized training organizations.

2. Practice with simulation: Run pediatric scenarios that demand rapid assessment, rhythm changes, and airway management.

3. Seek feedback: Use debriefs and skills checks to correct technique and improve compression quality.

4. Follow the literature: Track updates from pediatric conferences and journals so routines mirror best evidence.

5. Use cognitive aids: Quick-reference apps or cards can steady dosing, equipment sizes, and sequences under pressure.

How to Display Basic Life Support (BLS) Skills on Your Resume

9. Patient Education

Patient education equips children and caregivers with clear, actionable guidance suited to the child’s age, culture, and health status—so care plans stick.

Why It's Important

When families understand the why and how, adherence improves, anxiety softens, and outcomes climb.

How to Improve Patient Education Skills

1. Match the message to the age: Use kid-friendly visuals, stories, and demonstrations; translate for developmental stage and literacy level.

2. Make it interactive: Teach-back, hands-on practice, and simple checklists beat monologues.

3. Leverage visuals and media: Short videos, diagrams, and models break down complex topics quickly.

4. Normalize and validate: Address fears and common misconceptions without judgment; invite questions early.

5. Follow up: Reinforce with portal messages, handouts, or quick calls to close gaps after visits.

How to Display Patient Education Skills on Your Resume

10. Triage

Triage sorts patients by urgency so the sickest children receive care first—vital in clinics, urgent care, EDs, and during surges.

Why It's Important

Good triage saves time and lives. It reduces delays, prevents deterioration, and directs resources where they hit hardest.

How to Improve Triage Skills

1. Use standardized pediatric scales: Apply age-specific triage tools and revisit criteria regularly.

2. Drill scenarios: Simulation boosts precision and speed for respiratory distress, fever in infants, dehydration, and trauma.

3. Lean on decision support: Integrate triage protocols and risk flags into the EHR to reduce variability.

4. Communicate deftly: Extract key details from stressed families; summarize back to ensure accuracy.

5. Work as a unit: Clear roles, fast escalation pathways, and frequent huddles keep flow safe.

6. Review and refine: Audit cases, track time-to-provider, and learn from misses or near-misses.

How to Display Triage Skills on Your Resume

11. Pharmacology

Pharmacology studies how drugs work, interact, and cause effects—essential for safe, precise pediatric dosing and monitoring.

Why It's Important

Kids metabolize differently. Understanding kinetics, contraindications, and adverse effects by age and weight prevents harm and improves therapy.

How to Improve Pharmacology Skills

1. Take pediatric-focused CE: Update dosing, new approvals, black box changes, and antimicrobial stewardship.

2. Practice with supervision: Case-based learning and precepted prescribing solidify judgment.

3. Check trusted drug references: Use reputable formularies and interaction checkers; verify weight-based dosing every time.

4. Engage professional networks: Discuss edge cases with pediatric pharmacists and NP colleagues; share protocols.

5. Read the journals: Follow pediatric pharmacotherapy research and safety communications to keep pace.

How to Display Pharmacology Skills on Your Resume

12. Telehealth

Telehealth brings pediatric care to families through secure video, messaging, remote monitoring, and digital education—meeting needs without a waiting room.

Why It's Important

It expands access, trims no-show rates, supports chronic care between visits, and reduces exposure risks—especially for medically complex kids or distant families.

How to Improve Telehealth Skills

1. Design for kids: Use child-friendly visuals, brief segments, and parent guidance to keep visits engaging and effective.

2. Protect privacy: Use HIPAA-compliant platforms, clear consent processes, and privacy practices suited for adolescents.

3. Simplify the tech: Choose intuitive platforms with easy scheduling, reminders, and low-friction logins.

4. Reach underserved families: Partner with schools and community groups; offer low-bandwidth options and language access.

5. Keep learning: Attend telehealth trainings and share tips within your team to polish workflows and etiquette.

How to Display Telehealth Skills on Your Resume