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School nurse

A school nurse works with school-aged children in an educational setting. They administer routine medications, care for children with sicknesses, or may need to stabilize a child until emergency services arrive for more serious injuries. Resources are often limited in school clinics and the nurse must know when and if the child needs a higher level of care. School nurses may also be required to educate students and staff about health related issues.

To become a school nurse, the National Association of School Nurses recommends a 4-year Bachelor of Nursing degree, although nurses with an associate’s degree could also apply for this position. The National Board of Certification for School Nurses offers a specific certification. Along with a degree, 1000 or more hours of clinical experience are required.

Speech and language pathologist

Speech and language pathologists assess, diagnose, treat, and help to prevent communication and swallowing disorders in children and adults. Some may work in schools, but most work in healthcare facilities, such as hospitals. This job requires a great deal of interaction with children since most of these ailments are best treated when diagnosed early in life.

Education to become a speech and language pathologists starts with a 4-year bachelor’s degree in a related field. This is followed by a master’s degree in speech and language pathology and a licensing exam. Licensure requirements differ by state.

To learn more about this career, visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association at www.ASHA.org

Social worker

Child and family social workers protect vulnerable children and help families in need of assistance. They have a wide variety of roles such as helping parents find services like childcare, applying for benefits, or food stability. They help when children are in danger of neglect or abuse. Some social workers also help with adoptions and fostering.

There can be a variety of different paths to becoming a social worker. The most common is to obtain a bachelor’s degree in social work. Most individuals also decide to further their education to a master’s degree (MSW) and may even specialize in a certain aspect of their job.

Neonatal Nurse

It takes a special person to become a nurse, but even more so to work in the neonatal intensive care unit. Neonatal nurses work primarily with very sick or premature infants who need to be cared for and monitored until they are healthy enough to go home.

The path to becoming a neonatal nurse is like that of an RN except NICU nurses go on to specialize in their field. A few years of clinical experience in other fields such as pediatrics, well baby nursing, or labor and delivery is required before you can take the certification exam for neonatal nursing.

Child Psychologist

When most people think of mental health they think of adults, however the need for child psychologists reaches further than most people think. According to the Surgeon General, around 20% of children in the United States suffer from some sort of mental illness each year.

Children think and act differently than adults and therefore need a specialized approach to their mental health. Most child psychologists have a bachelor’s degree in psychology and specialize when they obtain their master’s degree in child development or clinical psychology. A lot of these individuals also go on to earn their PhD in the same field.