How long does it take to become a pediatric nurse?

If you would like to work in a hospital setting with children, you will need to complete the educational requirements to become a nurse. There are several options available for obtaining a nursing education, as described here:

http://study.com/what_education_is_needed_to_become_a_nurse.html

Many big-city hospitals these days prefer a 4-year bachelor's degree in nursing. I see you are from a major city in California. So the 4-year option is probably your best bet - do check in with a local nursing school counselor to confirm that.

After you graduate and pass the Nursing Board Exam, I suggest before you specialize in any area, that you work for at least one year on a regular medical-surgical floor of a hospital. You will gain a wealth of experience you'll carry into any area you choose. It's the advice I was given as a new grad, and 20 years later, I'm grateful I followed it. I've worked in a number of rewarding settings and had a good knowledge base to pull from. So my answer to how long it would take would be a minimum of 5 years.

There are a number of settings outside the hospital to work in that involve children, such as a pediatrician's office, psychiatric hospital, or my favorite - summer camp nursing! But hospital experience is key! So do that first. You'll learn more about different settings you can work in while in nursing school. I wish you luck, see you doing great things, and hope you get many more answers to your question here.