About NICU Nurses
The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a specialized ward of the hospital that cares for newborn infants with intensive medical needs. Nurses who work in these wards are professionals who are trained to deal with the unique needs of this very special population.
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Function
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Infants end up in the NICU for a variety of reasons, most commonly because of prematurity. The NICU provides intensive around-the-clock care, including both medical needs and basic daily care activities such as changing diapers and feeding. Babies in the NICU are hooked up to monitors that keep track of their heart rates, respiration and oxygen levels, and many also have IVs, feeding tubes and respirators. Nurses are responsible for monitoring all of this equipment and performing necessary procedures on the babies such as inserting feeding tubes and administering medication.
Considerations
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NICU nurses are Registered nurses (RNs) who work with neonates with special health care needs. Hospital policies vary, but most institutions prefer to hire nurses with some experience in adult health, rather than new graduates. NICU nurses work in very autonomous roles, and must be comfortable making quick decisions and completing medical procedures on their own. Nurses who are interested in a career in NICU should try to get as much experience in emergency care as possible and participate in any continuing education opportunities related to neonatal care.
Significance
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A recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that the number of babies who are born premature (at less than 37 weeks gestation) has risen to 12.5% of all live births in the U.S. Prior to the 1950's, less than half of these premature infants survived. That number now approaches 95% and the vast majority of those babies will need care in the NICU. The more premature an infant is born, the more likely he or she is to spend a significant amount of time in the hospital. NICU nurses are primarily responsible for the day to day care of these babies, with neonatologists (MDs) making rounds one or more times daily (and as needed) to write orders and assess progress. Nurses carry out these orders and perform life-saving procedures on a daily basis.
Types
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Neonatal nurses care for babies in one of three levels of nursery. Only levels II and III are considered to be neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Level I nurseries care for healthy newborns and are usually located within the maternity ward. Level II nurseries provide intermediate care such as close monitoring, feeding tubes or treatment for jaundice. Level III nurseries are designed to help the most critically ill babies or those who are severely premature. A level III nursery is equipped to care for infants with needs for intensive care, such as respirator care, incubators or infants who have had surgery. NICU nurses with extensive experience may also choose to return to school to obtain a graduate degree to become a NICU nurse practitioner and work in any of these settings.
Benefits
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The most obvious benefit of working in the NICU is the joy of watching small babies develop and grow healthy. However, there are other benefits to choosing this field. Because there is a shortage of NICU nurses, pay is competitive and nurses can virtually take their pick of geographic locations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the number of nursing jobs to continue to increase for the foreseeable future, in part as the result of advances in medical care that mean more premature babies than ever are surviving.
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