Who Are Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and Pediatric-focused APRNs?
Pediatric-focused advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), including pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs), family nurse practitioners (FNPs) and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), are advanced practice healthcare providers dedicated to improving children’s health in primary care, as well as specialty and acute care settings. We have been providing quality health care to children and families for over 40 years in an extensive range of practice settings, such as pediatric offices, specialty clinics, school-based health care settings and hospitals, reaching millions of patients across the country each year. Pediatric-focused APRNs spend significant one-on-one time with patients and families to answer their questions and discuss any concerns they may have.
PNPs and their fellow pediatric-focused APRNs serve as pediatric health care providers for children of all ages. You may choose a PNP or pediatric-focused APRN as your child’s health care provider knowing they will receive individualized quality health care focused on the long-term well-being of your child and family. Learn more about us.
Common Topics for Patient Families
Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) and other pediatric-focused APRNs are often the health care providers who see your children most frequently and are best acquainted with your children’s well-being. Learn more about behavioral and mental health resources.
Vaping is Not Safe – Especially for Children!
While the number of kids who consume alcohol or smoke marijuana or tobacco products are going down, the use of e-cigarettes (vaping) are on the rise. Almost all e-cigarettes contain nicotine and companies have targeted children between advertisements and product names. To make matters worse, many e-cigarettes as discrete and look like a USB flash drive.
Resources
Your pediatric nurse practitioner or other pediatric-focused APRN can provide information related to medications, over-the-counter or prescription, and vaccines for your children.
NAPNAP Resources
- NAPNAP’s Immunization Special Interest Group (SIG)
- NAPNAP position statement on Immunizations
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Resources
- Parent’s Guide to Childhood Immunizations— This guide helps parents and caregivers learn about the role vaccines play in helping keep children healthy.
- Vaccine Schedules —This page keeps you up to date on what immunizations your child needs and when.
- Facts for Parents: Diseases & the Vaccines that Prevent Them— More key information about benefits of immunization.
- Finding and Paying for Vaccines (VFC program) – The CDC provides resources for families in need.
- Growing Up with Vaccines – What Should Parents Know?– This interactive page breaks down all of the vaccines one receives from pregnancy through adulthood and why they are necessary.
- Recommended Immunizations for Children, Birth Through 6 Years
- Recommended immunizations in Spanish (en Español)
- Recommended Immunizations for Preteens and Teens, 7-18 Years
- Recommended immunizations in Spanish (en Español)
Additional Resources
- Immunization Action Coalition – Vaccine Information You Need
- World Health Organization — What are some of the myths – and facts – about vaccination
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) — Vaccine Education Center
- National Foundation for Infectious Diseases — HPV Vaccination Resource Center
- Every Child By Two – Vaccinate Your Family
NAPNAP teamed up with Families Fighting Flu and HealthyWomen to raise awareness about influenza and provide you with customized educational resources.
What is the Human Papilloma Virus or HPV?
The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a group of more than 150 types of viruses. Some of these viruses can lead to a variety of different types of cancer and there are more than 40 HPV types that can infect males and females. But there are vaccines that can be used to protect young people from the HPV types that are most closely linked to cancer and genital warts. Studies show the key to protection is early immunization – girls and boys should be vaccinated beginning at 11 years old.
- Questions and Answers about HPV – Read the most commonly asked questions that parents and caregivers have about HPV and answers from the experts
- Symptoms and Health Consequences of HPV – Learn what the symptoms of HPV are and how they can affect your child’s health
- Three Things Parents Should Know about Preventing Cancer
- Six Reasons to Get HPV Vaccine for Your Child
- The Link Between HPV and Cancer
- HPV and Cancer
- Listen to a podcast with NAPNAP expert Alison Moriarty Daley, PhD, APRN, PPCNP-BC where she answers common questions about HPV
For Pre-teens and Teens
- Protect yourself from HPV…Get vaccinated! – English – Spanish
- HPV Vaccines: A Guide for Young Adults – English – Spanish
HPV Vaccine Resources (English)
- More Information About HPV and HPV Vaccine
- HPV Vaccine FAQs
- HPV Vaccine for Preteens and Teens Fact Sheet
- A Parent’s Guide to Preteen and Teen HPV Vaccination
- HPV…Make sure your child is protected!
- What Parents Should Know About HPV Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness
- A Look at Each Vaccine: Human Papillomavirus
Recursos Vacuna Contra el VPH (Español)
Parents should make sure their children are protected against measles with two doses of MMR vaccine–the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age and the second dose 4 through 6 years of age.
- General article about measles
- Fact sheet about measles and MMR vaccine specifically for parents (English and Spanish)
- Frequently Asked Questions about measles and MMR vaccine
Over-the-Counter Medication Safety
NAPNAP, in collaboration with McNeil Consumer Healthcare, developed and executed a national over-the-counter (OTC) medicine safety campaign providing expert advice to providers, teens and parents. Information is available through a website featuring several handouts to encourage safe dosing and usage of OTC medication. Resources provided through the generous support of McNeil Consumer Healthcare.
Summer Safety Tips
Learn tips from the CDC about Keeping Kids Safe This Summer.
Home Health & Safety Tips
Check out germ prevention and home safety tips to keep your family healthy and out of harm’s way.
Be Prepared
NAPNAP has compiled a variety of resources related to being prepared for all types of disasters and ways to keep your family safe. Go to our Be Prepared webpage.
Back to School Family Checklist
This excellent back to school checklist was developed by the National Association of School Nurses (NASN).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Positive Parenting Tips
Download age-specific Positive Parenting Tip Sheets, for eight different age groups ranging from infants to teenagers. All of the information is available online in English and Spanish.
CDC Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers: Parenting Videos
The CDC offers parenting videos in English and Spanish, aimed primarily at parents of young children. Here you’ll find videos of the positive parenting skills. For each topic, there are two types of videos:
- Feature Video of Real-life Parenting Challenges
Have you ever been frustrated that your child doesn’t listen or struggled with how to handle specific behaviors? See how parents like you address every day challenges and find real world solutions. - “How-To” Video of Expert Tips and Ideas
Do you want to know the steps for time-out or how to set family rules? These videos have specific “how-to’s” for positive parenting. Experts provide tips and ideas that are direct and to-the-point.
Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt: Play Nicely: The Healthy Discipline Program
This is a brief, population-based intervention designed to prevent violence and mitigate toxic stress. Rates of violence and other health problems could be reduced if all caregivers learned how to respond to the following question appropriately: “Assume you see one young child hit another. What are you going to do?” Watch the videos.
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Discipline Strategies
AAP shares ways to help teach your children acceptable behavior as they grow with its 10 Healthy Discipline Strategies That Work.
Adolescence is an exciting time filled with growth, new experiences, increased independence, and self-discovery. Teens are generally healthy and the most common dangers to their health and safety are largely preventable! Injuries from a variety of sources (poisoning, drowning, motor vehicle accidents, fire), suicide and homicide are the leading causes of injury and death among teens. Risk-taking behaviors including unprotected sex and substance use can also negatively impact your teen’s health.
Our homes are considered safe spaces for our families, however potential hazards exist. Parents play an important role in keeping teens safe through education, limit setting and identifying potential dangers. As parents, you took the time to baby proof and child proof your home. Now that your child is older, it is time again to identify and remove potential dangers. Parents are also an important source of information for their teens so they may make informed decisions and to avoid unnecessary risks. Follow this room by room guide to identify common household hazards and suggestions for you to make your teen safer at home.
Resources
Developed in collaboration by the Adolescent Healthcare and Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Special Interest Groups’ joint project committee members Alison Moriarty Daley, Meara Peterson and Siem Ia.
- Download or print our two-page hand-out (PDF) with facts and tips for teen proofing your home.
- Display our poster (PDF) in your home or practice.
- If you are unable to access these files, please email jworsley@napnap.org to have a copy emailed to you.
