Hear From Teri Gearon, RN, Nursing Faculty, Pima Medical Institute
The best pediatric nurses know medicine is only half the job; the rest is trust, patience and caring for the whole family, not just the patient. In this episode of Voices of Vital Care, host Nohelani Graf sits down with Teri Gearon, RN, a nursing faculty member at Pima Medical Institute’s Mesa campus, to talk about her decade in pediatric nursing and the path that can take someone from certified nursing assistant to registered nurse through Pima Medical Institute’s Nursing associate degree program.
If you’ve ever felt a quiet pull toward caring for children and families, this podcast is a good place to start understanding what that path could look like for you.
In this episode, Gearon describes what kept her in pediatrics for 10 years, and she doesn’t talk about paychecks or schedules. She talks about the kids.
“They’re so resilient. They’re so tough, and they’re just seeing their progress from their weakest state, their most vulnerable state, to being strong and smiling again when they’re being discharged.”
-Teri Gearon, RN, Nursing Faculty, Pima Medical Institute
Gearon didn’t set out to become a pediatric nurse. She considered geriatrics first, inspired by caring for her grandmother, before finding her calling with children. What kept her there for 10 years was watching kids and their families move from fear to relief, often in the same hospital stay.
“You need to build enough trust where you’re letting your patient go home with their family, and you’re expecting the family to take care of that child, and knowing how to take care of a sick child is not easy, especially for new parents.”
-Teri Gearon, RN, Nursing Faculty, Pima Medical Institute
That trust doesn’t happen overnight. Gearon builds it through the small, unglamorous parts of the job: explaining a diagnosis in plain language, showing a scared parent how to change a dressing and checking in one more time before a shift ends. It’s the same instinct that shapes how Pima Medical Institute trains its nursing students, long before they ever meet a real patient.
In this episode, you will learn:
- What draws someone to pediatric nursing over other specialties, and why that reason matters
- Why hands-on caregiving or babysitting experience can help prepare you for a nursing assistant role
- What a typical day looks like for a certified nursing assistant working alongside registered nurses
- How Pima Medical Institute’s nursing students use high-fidelity mannequins and simulation labs to practice real patient scenarios
- The difference between a certified nursing assistant and a registered nurse, and how the two roles work together
- Why communication with parents matters just as much as clinical skill in pediatric care
- How self-reflection helps nurses process the emotional weight of the job
- What it takes to balance a nursing checklist with genuine bedside manner
Who this episode is for: Anyone who feels drawn to caring for children and families, whether they are just starting to explore health care as a career or considering the next step from patient care experience into nursing.
The opinions expressed in the podcasts are not those of Pima Medical Institute.
Watch Episode 5: What No One Tells You About Pediatric Nursing | CNA to RN Career Path
Beyond the Episode
The need for skilled pediatric nurses is real, and the broader nursing field continues to grow. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurses earned a median annual wage of $93,600* as of May 2024, with employment projected to grow five percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than average for all occupations. Beyond the numbers, nursing offers the kind of flexibility Gearon herself experienced: a path that can move from bedside care into teaching, mentoring and shaping the next generation of nurses.
Ready to learn more? Learn how to apply or reach out to the Pima Medical Institute admissions team to find out if the Nursing associate degree program is the right fit for you.
