PED-BC Exam Information and Outline
Pediatric Nursing Certification
PED-BC Exam Syllabus & Study Guide
Before you start practicing with our exam simulator, it is essential to understand the
official PED-BC exam objectives. This course outline serves as your roadmap.
The information below reflects the 2026 syllabus defined by
ANCC.
Below are complete topics detail with latest syllabus and course outline, that will help you good knowledge about exam objectives and topics that you have to prepare. These contents are covered in questions and answers pool of exam.
Exam Code: PED-BC
Exam Name: Pediatric Nursing Certification
Total number of questions: 150 (125 scored + 25 pretest/unscored)
Time allotted: 3 hours
Passing / scoring method: Scaled score system- pass/fail. The minimum passing scaled score is 350 (on a 1–500 scale)
Assessment and Diagnosis
- Knowledge
- Assessment tools and techniques (eg- pain scale- fall risk- pressure injury risk-withdrawal assessment tool- deterioration scale)
- Growth and development (eg- developmental stages and milestones- growthcharts- developmentally appropriate care)
- Pathophysiology (eg- childhood diseases- congenital/genetic abnormalities)
- Pharmacology (eg- immunization- side effects- patient education)
- Complementary and alternative therapies (eg- essential oils- cupping- herbalsupplements)
- Diagnostic tests and screenings (eg- indications- normal ranges)
- Culture- religion- socioeconomic status- and health practices of diversegroups (eg- treatment refusal- dietary restrictions- financial constraints-gender identity)
- Skill
- Physical assessments (eg- vital sign parameters- body systems)Psychosocial assessments (eg- mental health assessment/screening- high-riskbehaviors- substance use disorders- unprotected sex)
- Medication and treatment reconciliation (eg- allergies- over-the-countermedications)
- Diagnostic specimen collection (eg- venipuncture- nasal swab- urinespecimen)
Planning and Implementation
- Knowledge
- Evidence-based quality improvement measures (eg- bundles- clinicalpathways)
- Treatment interactions (eg- food-medication- herbal-medication- drug-todrug interactions)
- Legal and ethical considerations (eg- age of consent- advanced directives-professional role- HIPAA compliance)
- Identification of changes in patient status (eg- decompensation- recognizingtrends)
- Skill
- Coordination of individualized care (eg- consultations- case management)
- Formulation of realistic and measurable outcomes
- Evidence-based interventions (eg- therapeutic holding- chlorhexidine baths-oral sucrose)
- Patient safety and risk-reduction measures (eg- restraints- elopementprevention- de-escalation strategies- suicide precautions- infectionprevention)
- Medication administration (eg- oral- parenteral- enteral)
- Appropriate prioritization of patient intervention (eg- what to do first- who toassess first- time management- delegation)
Evaluation
- Knowledge
- Family structure and dynamics (eg- multiple caregivers)
- Patient response to illness and hospitalization (eg- coping- regression)
- Chronic disease management (eg- asthma- diabetes- obesity)
- Health Promotion (eg- physical activity- nutrition)
- Expected responses to interventions (eg- medication efficacy- re-assessment-re-evaluation)
- Skill
- Therapeutic communication techniques (eg- therapeutic communication-professional communication- trauma-informed care)
- Teaching methods (eg- teach-back- learning environment)
- Learning evaluation (eg- reinforcement- return demonstration)