Becoming a Neonatal Nurse: Meeting the Educational Requirements

Becoming a Neonatal Nurse: Meeting the Educational Requirements
Becoming a neonatal nurse is a comparatively new option for registered nurses, as compared to other traditional nursing specialties with abundant openings available for nurses wanting to provide care for newborn babies. This nursing specialty includes assisting chronically ill or premature newborns or working with mothers and providing care for their healthy newborns.

Exactly what is a neonatal nurse? A neonatal nurse provides specialty and intensive care for newborn babies twenty-eight days old or less. Neonatal nurses work in one of three types of nurseries:

Level I nursery is normally for healthy babies. With the advent of shorter hospital stays and the fact most mothers and their babies now share a hospital room, Level I nurseries have essentially disappeared.

Level II nursery provides specialty care for premature newborns or those dealing with an ailment. These newborns may require additional oxygen, intravenous or specialty feedings, or more maturation time before they are ready to go home.

Level III nursery is a neonatal intensive care unit that provides care beyond the abilities of a Level I or II nursery. These newborns may not be of sufficient size, premature, or suffering ailments that require advanced technological care. These units can include ventilators, specialized equipment including incubators or surgical intervention. The level III nursery is generally found in larger conventional hospitals or within a children's hospital.
The educational requirements in becoming a neonatal nurse require simply becoming a registered nurse, which can take between two and four years, depending upon whether a bachelor's degree or associate degree program is chosen. Following graduation, you must take a state licensing exam in order to become a registered nurse.

The qualifications for working as a neonatal nurse are varied depending on the institution. Some hospitals require a year of medical surgical or adult health nursing experience. Other medical centers will hire registered nurses without any previous experience.

Following graduation from nursing school, there are continuing educational requirements established by either the state a nurse is practicing in or the nursing certifying body. The state board of nursing establishes how many hours of continuing education are required in order to renew a registered nurse's license, which is normally every two or three years.

What sort of salary can you expect in becoming a neonatal nurse?

In the Midwest United States, the starting salary for nurses without experience may be in the range of $38,000 to $44,000.
On both the east coast and the west coast of the United States, the starting salary can exceed $40,000.
In the southern parts of the United States, the starting salary is closer to $30,000.
The upper range for a starting salary without experience is close to $48,000.
Salaries for experienced nurses can be considerably greater.

If you decide on becoming a neonatal nurse, it can be quite rewarding. The joys of working with healthy babies cannot be understated; however, there is great satisfaction in the discharge of a mother and baby that have overcome life threatening ailments.

Learn more about the training and educational requirements for becoming a Neonatal Nurse and how to get started in this exciting career at http://www.BecomingAnRN.net.

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By James Hamby