NICU Nurse Description
Every day, nurses save lives while caring for patients at medical facilities. Neonatal nurses who work in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) provide care for infants and newborns in need of extensive life-saving, around-the-clock care. Just as registered nurses must be well-versed in medical terminology, treatments and patient monitoring, NICU nurses must also exhibit patience and a nurturing manner.
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Initial Care
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Infants and newborns placed in neonatal intensive care units must be under careful watch until they are released to the general ward of a children's hospital. Observation in this unit is critical to the infant's medical health and progress. NICU nurses are responsible for monitoring each child and documenting progress and treatments. While infants are in the NICU, nurses check vital signs, chart each child's progress and communicate concerns and potential health risks to attending physicians.
Primary Duties
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The neonatal intensive care unit is a fast-paced and critical environment at a children's hospital. Often, infants with life-threatening conditions are placed in the NICU for critical care. Due to the risk of complications with treatment and overall progress, NICU nurses must regularly monitor each patient's vital signs, pulse, temperature, blood pressure and fluids. In certain instances, patients may be on oxygen or have breathing tubes that NICU nurses will need to monitor.
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Additional Duties
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NICU nurses are also responsible for documenting the growth and progress of each infant in the neonatal intensive care unit. While observing an infant's progress, NICU nurses document changes, improvements or health concerns on each patient's chart. When released from the unit, NICU nurses may be required to provide medical precautions and instructions to the child's family and caretakers.
Career Opportunities
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Most NICU nurse positions are available at children's hospitals. Although most NICU nurses are also registered nurses, the opportunities for employment are limited to medical facilities with infant intensive care units. Therefore, NICU nurses rarely work in physician offices, community centers or schools. The job outlook for registered nurses in general is predicted to grow 22 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This growth details the outlook for all registered nurses, with a portion working as NICU nurses.
Qualifications and Earnings
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The qualifications for NICU nurses are similar to registered nurses. NICU nurses must obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing as well as state licensing to practice. At some facilities, a master's degree in nursing is also required. For work eligibility in NICU units, some medical facilities may require continued education in neonatal care to ensure the best patient care. According to the BLS, registered nurses working in hospitals earned annual median wages of $63,880 in 2008.
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References
- Photo Credit nursing duties image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
