Neonatal Nurse |
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Neonatal NurseNurses and doctors in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have to be skilled equally in interpersonal communications and technical expertise. The role of the neonatal intensive care nurse had expanded elsewhere previously, particularly in North America as a response to medical staffing crises where the practice and the training/education programs were expanded during the 1970s/1980s and continued to evolve to encompass an advanced role for the neonatal nurse practitioner. Neonatal nurse practitioners currently provide care to neonates in the delivery room, emergency room, NICU, and newborn nursery and during inter-hospital transports. As a neonatal nurse, you may work in neonatal intensive care units taking care of acutely ill neonates and premature infants or you may choose to work in mother-baby or newborn nurseries taking care of healthy newborns. Neonatal nurse practitioners with a master’s degree in neonatal nursing not only assist in maintaining the medical plan of care but also assist in optimizing the nursing plan of care. Neonatal nursing has evolved as a subspecialty of maternal-child nursing and includes nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and critical care nurses. These professionals are a vital part of the neonatal care team. For the mother of an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), providing breast milk takes on added significance: it is the one thing she alone can do for her baby when she may otherwise feel helpless. Over the past 10 years, the partnering of residents and neonatal nurse practitioners has proven to be an effective method of residency training. Reduced work hours for residents and expanded roles in neonatal care have increased the demand for these advanced practice nurses. In 2003, 3300 neonatal nurse practitioners held current certification. Neonatal nursing is a relatively new specialty by comparison to adult health, midwifery, or other areas of nursing. Neonatal care, as known in specialized nurseries or intensive care, has been around since the 1960's. The Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admits all neonates (during the first 28 days of life) who cannot be treated in either of the other two nursery levels. Neonatal nurses provide the direct patient care to these infants. Requirements for neonatal nurses are established by the institution which uses a list of practice skills to assess nurse’s abilities in using medications, math calculations, intravenous lines, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and other knowledge needed for direct patient care. Entry level requirements for neonatal nurses vary from institution to institution. Neonatal nurses can work in hospitals as floor nurses, transport nurses or case managers. Experienced neonatal nurses can move up to management roles or, with advanced education, become neonatal nurse practitioners. The state board of nursing sets the number of hours, if any, required during a 2-to-3 year period (depending on the ime of renewal) to maintain the registered nurse (RN) license. A college or university education to prepare as an RN takes 2 or 4 years, depending on whether students attend a bachelors- or associate-degree program. There is no special program for neonatal nursing in basic RN education. For more on neonatal nursing, visit the NANN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses and the Academy of Neonatal Nursing. Stumble It! • Submit To Netscape • del.icio.us • Y! MyWeb |
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