Neonatal Nurse
A neonatal nurse is a registered nurse who takes care of sick and premature infants in a neonatal intensive care units. Neonatal nurses have earned either an Associate’s Degree in Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree that allowed them to earn their registered nurse license.
Neonatal nursing is a specialty that is specific to the care of infants that are born early, or prematurely, or are sick upon or shortly after birth. A neonatal nurse may also be referred to as an N.I.C.U. nurse, or NICU (nick-yoo) nurse.
In a neonatal intensive care unit, nurses can use specialized equipment, such as ventilators, oscillators, CPAP, and other life saving ypes of equipment to help care for infants. They also are trained to start intravenous lines (IVs), administer medications, and insert nasalgasstric (NG) tubes for infant feedings. And this is only to name a few things a neonatal nurse can do.
Ultimately, an neonatal nurse helps care for an infant as they grow out of prematurity, or help them transition from sickness an/or infection back to health. It is a highly technical nursing specialty that requires compassion, careful attention to detail, and a passion for continuing education in the neonatal nursing field.
