What Is the Job of Being a Neonatal Nurse?
While some nurses choose to work as generalists, helping to take care of many types of patients, others specialize in an area of nursing. Nurses who choose to work with newborns up to 28 days old are known as neonatal nurses. Neonatal nurses have a variety of medical responsibilities.
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Definition
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A neonatal nurse cares for both ill and healthy newborns. These nurses may work in a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, with premature infants or full-term newborns with special medical needs. In the NICU, neonatal nurses work with special equipment, such as incubators designed to help keep an infant warm and breathing machines designed to make sure the infant's breathing can be properly regulated. Neonatal nurses work with doctors and other medical professionals.
Required Background
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To become a neonatal nurse, you must first earn a bachelor's degree in nursing, known as a BSN. Nursing students study subjects such as human anatomy and biochemistry. Student nurses also complete a term of on-the-job training at a hospital or medical facility, rotating through various areas of the hospital. Students who are interested in becoming neonatal nurses can ask to spend time in an NICU in order to prepare for their future profession. After graduation, students take a licensing exam to become registered nurses.
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Types of Neonatal Nurses
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Registered nurses can continue their studies and seek certification in neonatal resuscitation or neonatal intensive care nursing, according to AllNursingSchools.com. A neonatal nurse might work with healthy infants administering their first vaccinations and rocking them to sleep. A neonatal nurse will also work with sicker infants who need specialized medical care. Those interested in becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner need a master of science in nursing (MSN) degree. Because of their advanced training, neonatal nurse practitioners have more responsibilities, and may supervise other nurses in addition to their duties helping to care for infants.
Infant Care
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Neonatal nurses perform many different duties. They assume responsibility for the day-to-day care of an infant in the NICU. Caring for a premature infant may involve making sure that the infant is receiving all necessary medications as well as responding well to stimuli. The nurse will also observe the infant closely, noting any changes in breathing or heart rate.
Working With Parents and Doctors
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A neonatal nurse is also responsible for working with the parents of premature or sick infants. The parents may face varying emotions including shock, frustration and dismay. A neonatal nurse will help the parents face such emotions and learn to make sure their newborn gets the best possible medical care. Neonatal nurses also assist doctors during medical procedures such as intubation and surgery. A nurse can serve as a liaison between the parents and doctor, updating them as necessary during the course of their child's stay in the NICU.
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References
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