Neonatal nursing
Neonatal nursing is a specialized field within nursing that focuses on the care of newborn infants, particularly those who are born prematurely, have congenital illnesses, or develop complications within the first month of life. This subspecialty addresses conditions such as infections, birth defects, and cardiac deformities, and neonatal care can extend until the child reaches two years old, depending on their health needs. Neonatal nurses often work in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) or intermediate care nurseries, where they may supervise multiple infants simultaneously and provide critical medical interventions while educating parents about care requirements.
To become a neonatal nurse, individuals must first be registered nurses (RNs) with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and relevant certifications. Advanced roles, such as neonatal nurse practitioners, require further education and specialized training. The profession has experienced growth driven by medical innovations that have improved survival rates for vulnerable infants. Despite the critical demand for skilled neonatal nurses, the field faces challenges in staffing and recruitment, emphasizing the need for ongoing education and support to ensure high-quality care. Ultimately, neonatal nursing plays a vital role in providing tailored healthcare solutions to ensure the best possible outcomes for newborns and their families.
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Neonatal nursing
Neonatal nursing is a nursing subspecialty that concentrates on newborn conditions and diseases that develop within the first month of birth, such as prematurity, infections, birth defects, cardiac deformities, and surgical complications. Some infants require long-term neonatal care for premature birth conditions or illnesses acquired after birth. Neonatal nursing can continue until the patient turns two years old and most neonatal nurses care for certain patients from the time of birth until discharge time. Within the last fifteen years, significant medical innovations have aided physicians and nurses in raising the survival rates of neonatal patients.
Neonatal nursing takes place in a medical setting, often in a level II nursery with moderately ill or recuperating patients, or in a level III nursery with infants in more critical states. Neonatal nurses generally supervise up to four infants at a time, depending on the nursery’s specific occupancy rates and medical care requirements. Nurses are expected to work for twelve-hour shifts, including weekends and holidays, though many neonatal care units only require eight- or ten-hour shifts with more flexible alternatives. Neonatal nurses can also be assigned to community care facilities to offer home care or visits to more high-risk infants.
Background
Neonatal nursing concentrates on the care of newborn infants who are born prematurely, have certain illnesses at birth, or have developed conditions within the first month of life. It is a comparatively new subspecialty in comparison to adult health, midwifery, and other nursing subspecialties. Neonatal nurses (registered nurses, or RNs) and neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs) can be employed in clinics, community-based healthcare settings, hospitals, or neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). RNs, NNPs, parents, patients, neonatologists, and other nursing specialists work together closely as a team to attain the most holistic, positive health results for infants.
An entry-level neonatal nursing expert must be a registered nurse (RN), have completed a four-year bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree, and have neonatal resuscitation or neonatal intensive care nursing certification. Certain hospitals require entry-level neonatal nurses to fulfill a minimum number of years of clinical experience as part of the job requirements. On the other hand, neonatal nurse practitioners must have received a master of science in nursing (MSN) degree or a two-year advanced practice neonatal nursing (APNN) in conjunction with an NP or clinical nurse specialist (CNS) license. All neonatal nurses must be certified by their respective state nursing boards or have certification from a national agency, such as the National Certification Corporation.
Neonatal nurses are assigned to either a level II or level III healthcare unit. Level I nurseries are designated for healthy infants and require minimal nursing care, given that mothers and infants tend to stay in the same room and are only in the hospital for a few days. Level II or intermediate care nursing focuses on premature and ill infants who require continuous care and assistance such as auxiliary oxygen sources, intravenous therapy, and specialized feeding. Level III nurses work with infants who have more serious illnesses and are placed in the NICU within the first twenty-eight days after birth. Level III units are closely attached to surgical units and are part of large general hospitals or children’s hospitals. Level III neonatal nurses must constantly supervise infants’ ventilators and incubators, as well as educate parents and family members regarding an infant’s health and care requirements.
Impact
Neonatal nursing is continuously expanding to recruit staff with qualifications in working with medications, math calculations, intravenous lines insertions, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first aid, and other necessary medical knowledge. Carole Kenner pointed out in a 2015 article for Newborn and Infant Nursing Review that it is challenging but important to accurately measure the number of working neonatal nurses because sufficient levels of trained neonatal nursing staff are linked to positive patient outcomes. Kenner also reported in the same article that the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has predicted that there will be one million fewer nurses than needed in the United States by 2022. Groups such as the AACN, American Nurses Association, the American Hospital Association, and the American Organization of Nurse Executives are developing new approaches in recruiting and retaining neonatal nurses. Some organizations have articulated the requirement for more nursing staff to attract potential specialists, with the emphasis on increasing employee benefits, whereas, in the past, rewards were primarily given for taking on overtime or additional shifts.
Society’s requirements for nurses have changed over time, thus requiring continual education and interventions. Neonatal nursing, like other nursing subspecialties, has a global impact given that healthcare is a worldwide concern. Neonatal nursing aims to provide dedicated specialists and medical innovations to deliver the best healthcare available for newborn babies.
Bibliography
"How to Become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner." AllNursingSchools, 2018, www.allnursingschools.com/articles/neonatal-nursing/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.
"Is a Career in Neonatal Nursing Right for You?" National Association of Neonatal Nurses, nann.org/professional-development/what-is-neonatal-nursing. Accessed 14 June 2016.
Kenner, Carole. "Neonatal Nursing Workforce: A Global Challenge and Opportunity." Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews, vol. 15, no. 4, 2015, pp. 165–66.
Lake, Eileen, et al. "Improving the Lives of Fragile Newborns: What Does Nursing Have to Offer?" LDI Issue Brief, vol. 20, no. 1, 2016, pp. 1–4.
"Neonatal Nurse." Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, www.nursesource.org/neonatal.html. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.
Rogowski, J. A., et al. "Nurse Staffing and NICU Infection Rates." JAMA Pediatrics, vol. 167, no. 5, 2013, pp. 444–50.