Neonatal Nurse Salary

 

A neonatal nurse's job is to care for newborn babies up to 28 days after they have been born. Every year, about 40,000 babies are born with a low birth weight and require special care. Neonatal nurses are responsible for monitoring the newborns and their equipment and taking vital signs every hour. They will record the baby's blood pressure, weigh them, and record how often they have eaten and had dirty diapers.

As you are aware, not all babies are born healthy and they may require special care. Neonatal nurses can take on this responsibility as well. These nurses can choose whether to work with healthy, sick or premature babies.

Neonatal Nurse Job Overview

Neonatal nurses work in hospitals. Nurses can work in different 'levels.' The three levels determine the type of babies they will be caring for. Level I is healthy babies. This is not as common because most healthy babies and mothers leave the hospital within a couple of days and they often stay in the same room. Level II is the middle ground. These babies may be premature or sick and may be placed on oxygen, IVs and their feedings are regulated. These babies need special care compared to healthy babies and will stay in the hospital a little longer. If they are premature, they will have to stay until they are developed enough to leave the hospital.

Level III is considered to be neonatal intensive care. These levels are usually located at children's hospitals instead of where the mother has delivered. The babies in this level are the babies who are too unhealthy for the other two levels and they will stay here for the first 28 days. This level is where tiny babies, premature and very sick babies stay. Some of these babies may need surgery, ventilators to breath and incubators. These babies are very fragile and most are fighting for their lives. They need constant care around the clock. These babies are hooked up to machines and IVs and neonatal nurses are there to give them a human touch and feel loved.

These neonatal nurses are also responsible for teaching the new parents how to care for their fragile baby. They can teach them feeding techniques, giving them medicine and frequency, how to hold the baby properly and how to care for the baby in their state. These babies will stay in the hospital a while until they are healthy enough to come home. Some babies will stay in the hospital a few months, depending on their condition. Sometimes when they finally do come home, the parents still need to give the special care, and they can be taught how to do this by the neonatal nurses. Therefore, a neonatal nurse not only interacts with the babies, but also the families of the babies they are caring for. This job requires people who have compassion not only for babies but for their families.

Education

Most neonatal nurses are required to have received their degree from an accredited registered nursing program and a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. Some may even have their Masters of Science in Nursing. After receiving their education, most employers will require that the nurse have three years experience working in a hospital. They must show that they are exceptional nurses with leadership skills and capability of making decisions in a stressful environment. They also must have received certification as a Neonatal Resuscitation Provider or in Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing. Some may also be neonatal nurse practitioners.

Neonatal Nurse Career Outlook

The field of health care is an excellent field to start a career in. Not only do you have the satisfaction of helping other people every day, you have the job security that comes with being a neonatal nurse. This career path is expected to continue to increase its prospects. During the next 10 years, the demand is predicted to dramatically increase. With higher demand comes higher pay as well. Neonatal nurse practitioners can make an average of $74,000 a year in the United States. The Neonatal nurse salary range is between $50,000 and $83,000 a year. San Diego and Philadelphia are the two cities in the United States with the highest median neonatal nurse salary.

Add Your Comments about The Salary Payscale Employment Guide: