The Many Benefits Of Pursuing A Career In Neonatal Nursing
Posted on: 19 July 2018
You love children and would like a career that gives you the opportunity to care for them. Nursing is certainly a rewarding career wherein you can help in the care of a special type of patient. Neonatal nursing care is a specialty that just might be the best career for you. If you'd like to care for newborn babies, look at the facts about how to get your career quest going. Learn how to get the education that takes you into this fascinating field within the health care industry.
What You Need To Know About Neonatal Nursing
Some babies are delivered and are soon after diagnosed with infections and cardiac issues. Usually happening in the babies' first month of life, infants may even be diagnosed with premature birth and birth defects. They are usually placed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) wing of the hospital they're born in. Neonatal nurses will then care for the children in that setting. While many neonatal nurses do work in hospitals, others find work in less intense environments such as clinics and home health care where they provide follow-up care for babies.
Your Job Duties
During the course of a day, your neonatal nursing care could include resuscitating babies or helping new moms to learn about breastfeeding their infants. You would discover early in your career, without a doubt, that you spend just as much time with the infants' families as you do with the babies, so you also have the responsibility of incorporating parents into critical care. Administering medication is an important aspect of your nursing duties as well, which is vital care that keeps sick infants alive and on the way to recovery.
Benefits You Gain
While the benefits you derive from providing neonatal care give you an opportunity to render valuable support to their families, you also reap financial benefits when you work as a neonatal nurse. Your advanced nursing skills in this field of care compensate you financially with salaries of up to $92,000 and more annually. You do have opportunities to advance in your career: job titles are offered to you as your experience and knowledge increase. You could be offered the title of clinical specialist, development care specialist, or nurse manager. You'll be using your skills in these job titles to direct educational programs and support staff, which improve across-the-board patient care.
Training You Must Undergo
You must first become a registered nurse. Take steps to work in a NICU unit for approximately two years, and keep gaining clinical experience. Follow that up by pursuing a graduate program in neonatal nursing. Once you complete the graduate program, obtain your optional neonatal certification from the Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing Certification Corporation. That certification markets you as an authentic neonatal nurse who can handle all situations in your field.
For more information about neonatal careers, contact companies like Kidz Medical Services.
Share