Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing - NICU Nurse
Neonatal nursing is a distinct specialty in which nurses devote their skills to newborns in need of specialized care. Modern, hospital based care of the newborns takes place in specialized nurseries and neonatal intensive care units. There are specific roles for a neonatal nurse, distinct qualifications, and various nursing practice settings. However, the core nursing process employed when taking care of newborns is the same as in other practice settings and consists of assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. A neonatal nurse has the option to work in neonatal intensive care units providing direct care to acutely ill newborns and premature infants or may find employment in mother-baby or newborn nurseries taking care of healthy newborns.
Hospitals have special units for newborns called nurseries and a large hospital can have three nursery levels called Level I, II, and III. The neonatal nurse can work in either of these levels and the assignment will vary depending on acuity of the patients. For example, in a Level I nursery the staff nurse may take care of five or six healthy newborns, in a Level II four newborns will be assigned, and in a Level III nursery the neonatal nurse will be responsible for only two premature babies. Because of the current trend in hospital care, the time new mothers and babies spend in a hospital is very short. Healthy babies are usually kept in the same room as the mother and Level I nurseries are slowly becoming extinct. However, there is an increase in the number of patients admitted in Level II and III nurseries due to many advances in artificial insemination and the resulting premature births.
The nurse working in a Level II nursery, also called an intermediate care or special care nursery, is responsible for taking care of premature newborns and babies who usually suffer from illnesses. The staff nurse performs duties such as administering supplemental oxygen, maintaining a feeding schedule, maintaining intravenous therapy, administering shots and oral medications, monitoring vital signs such as temperature, pulse, heart rate and respiratory pattern, bathing, changing, and weighing the infant. The newborn will be kept in a Level II nursery until it is sufficiently mature and stable at which point discharge procedures begin and follow ups will be conducted at a newborn follow - up clinic.
Infants admitted to a Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are those who have critical conditions and can not be treated properly at a Level II nursery. The neonatal nurse working in a Level III nursery will care for those babies that are small for their age, are premature, or those who have been born at term but are sick and in need of specialized care. Nurses will be responsible for all the care given at a Level II nursery and in addition have to use specialized technology including ventilators, incubators, arterial and venous lines, intravenous infusions. Level III NICU nurses must also constantly monitor their assigned neonates and help with surgery when required. In addition to providing direct newborn care, neonatal nurses are also responsible for educating and teaching their parents. An intensive care unit for neonates can be a very frightening and intimidating place for parents and immediate relatives. The nurse must use communication and interpersonal skills to make the parents comfortable and able to cope with their infant health conditions.
There are specific requirements for a neonatal nurse working in a nursery and these are established by the employer. A hospital’s neonatal unit usually uses a list of practice skills to assess nurses’ abilities in using medications, perform math calculations, start and maintain intravenous lines, administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and other knowledge needed for direct patient care. The newly hired staff nurse is trained on the job under the supervision of a preceptor for a predetermined period of time depending on the previous experience level in taking care of neonates. Specific skills are thought and practiced when a new graduate nurse enters this nursing field for approximately twelve weeks. As with other nursing specialties, continuing education credits are mandatory and each state board of nursing determines the number of hours required to maintain a registered nurse (RN) license.
The qualifications needed to obtain a neonatal nurse job vary depending on the place of employment. The requirements for entry level positions may range from no previous experience to one year of nursing practice in general nursing on a medical surgical floor. All institutions require that the applicant be a graduate of an accredited school of nursing that has passed the NCLEX-RN exam and is licensed to work as a Registered Nurse. Many hospitals today do not require previous experience in neonatal care and are willing to train new nurse graduates or nurses who have experience on other units. The entry level requirements truly depend on how many positions need to be filled and the supply of qualified registered nurses available for those positions.
A neonatal nurse salary depends on the cost of living in your area and on your experience level. Experienced neonatal nurses have higher salaries than new graduates hired for the same position. Nurses who have obtained two years of experience as a RN in a neonatal intensive care unit might want to consider enrolling in a graduate nursing school program to become a neonatal nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist. These higher credentials and qualifications will not only mean increased knowledge but also a better salary. Many NICU units are understaffed while others are expanding, thus leading to a greater demand for neonatal nurse practitioners and staff nurses trained in this specialty area.
Helpful Nursing Resources
Why you Should Consider Working as a Travel Nurse | New Graduate Nurses Working in the ICU | Medical Surgical Nursing | Night Shift Nurses | Tips for Helping Nurses Get Enough Sleep | Foreign Educated Registered Nurses | What You Should Know About the Boards of Nursing | What Makes a Workplace Better than Another for Nurses? | What to Do When a Patient Requires Extra Confidentiality? | About the Influence of Ethics on Nurse Retention | Nursing Schools in North Dakota | NCLEX Practice Questions | Financial Aid for Nursing Students | Online Nursing Schools and Programs | Why Become a Nurse? | How to Study and Review for the NCLEX Examination | Online Master Degree Programs in Nursing | Neonatal Nursing Jobs | Free College Scholarships
