Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses care for premature and critically ill newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a hospital. These babies are born needing immediate medical attention, so Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses connect them to technology that helps them breathe and allows them to be fed intravenously, so they can gain weight. As a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse, you’ll work under the direction of a physician, caring for the newborn, and helping to educate their new mothers about their baby’s condition, breastfeeding, and answering their questions.
Things You'll Do:
- Monitor the newborn's condition
- Administering necessary medications to the baby
- Record the newborn’s progress and recovery
- Change diapers
- Hold and comfort the babies in distress
Your job characteristics:
- Fast-paced
- Multifaceted
- Structured
- Patient-facing
How You'll Get There
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Get YourNursing Diploma, Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
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Take elective courses in neonatal nursing during school.
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Pass YourNational Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN)
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You can start working as a Registered Nurse.
More about becoming an RN › -
Get several years of clinical experience working with neonatal patients before applying to take your certification exam for neonatal nursing.
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Pass YourCritical care neonatal nursing certification exam through the American Association of Critical Care Nursing
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Become aNeonatal Intensive Care Nurse
More About this Specialty
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Meet
Jennylynderead her story
Geriatric Nurse, RN
I became a Certified Nursing Assistant at the age of 16, after obtaining my Girl Scout Gold Award by arranging...
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How Much You
Can Makean average salary of
$45K - $58Kfind salary by stateWhat Else You
Can Expect- Job competition is high, as this specialty is a popular one. The more advanced your degrees and/or certifications are, the more likely you are to get the position you want as a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse.
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