Neonatal Nursing

Neonatal derived from the words neo which means new and natal which means birth. The term is a 28-day specific nursing practice of caring for newborn infants. The following are the three different levels of working as a neonatal nurse:

1. Level I consists of means of caring for healthy newborns
2. Level II are the types of caring for either premature or ill newborns
3. Level III consists of means of caring for newborn babies who are not possible to diagnose in the other levels. They need high tech - equipments to survive.

A neonatal nurse may opt to work in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with the healthy born babies or with the ill or premature babies. The entry-level requirements of a neonatal nurse differ by locality. He must finish an accredited RN (Registered Nurse) program (like Bachelor of Science in Nursing or Masters of Science in Nursing) in an accredited school of nursing. A three year minimum of clinical experience in a hospital setting is also a requirement. The NICU requires a certification on Neonatal Resuscitation Provider and/or Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing or Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, he must be a CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialist), and a RN documentation of the state in which the nurse wishes to work.

Neonatal nurses can receive stable remuneration. The Nurse Source stated that the upper range for an inexperienced neonatal nurse is roughly $48,000 yearly. The amount will increase when they became experienced nurses. As they continue to serve, their salary increases. Pay Scale said that the salary of a neonatal nurse with more than 20 years of experience may increase to $20,000 or higher. Mayo Clinic stated that many employers can offer easy-to-handle job schedule, i.e. 12 hour shifts per week for full time nurse. They may opt to work in the evening or during weekends. Night shifts and overtime are paid to time and a half. Child care, educational benefits, and bonuses were also given. Nurses have extra security. Various hospitals offer retirement plans but usually a period of five years is required to be entitled to retirement plans. They can be also rewarded with medical and dental insurance. Other benefits included are on-site pharmacies, on-site day care, and tuition reimbursement programs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics said that there will be an estimated 587,000 new nursing jobs in the future.

What does a neonatal nurse do?

Neonatal nursing is a career for those who are fond of babies. Nurses can select their job in 3 levels:

The following are the job description of a neonatal nurse:

• Can perform the levels of duties of a neonatal nurse

First level - nurses are responsible to take care of healthy born babies after childbirth.
Second level - nurses must provide the needs of the ill or premature babies.
Third level - nurses can take care of the newborns with health problems that are hard to be cured in the two levels.

• Know how to deal with cases of newborn babies with severe problems like respiratory disorders and low weight at birth
• Can guide and solve all the inquiries of the newborns' parents. A complete record of the health details of all the baby patients must be kept and monitored.
• Can get used to and act quickly on difficult situations and have good communication skills and presence of mind for conveying the right information related to health issues
• Can do the primary care and can fulfill unique needs and technical duties like feeding the babies by the means of a gavage tube, monitoring the health conditions of the baby, blood testing, blood transfusion, and inserting iv's.
• Can provide emotional support especially when a surgery happens.