What are pros and cons of neonatal nursing?

Pros & Cons of Neonatal Nursing

• Answer:

  Neonatal nursing involves caring for newborns during the first 28 days of life. Nurses provide three levels of care depending on the health of the infants: Level I care for healthy newborns, Level II care for those who need special care, and Level III care for those infants who face life-threatening conditions. The job of a neonatal nurse requires close monitoring of infants, coordination with neonatologists and communication with parents. Job Security Infants born prematurely or those with low birth weights or other health problems at the time of birth require specialized care, often in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Facilities in a NICU are optimized to provide quality care and nurses play a major role in administering it to their tiny patients. As medical technology advances, there is an increasing demand for skilled nursing staff to care for neonates. This in turn implies good job security for nurses with greater education, certifications and expertise. Rewarding Career Job demand leads to higher salaries and greater ability to choose. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average nurse salary in 2009 was $66,530. Neonatal nursing being a specialized area is capable of fetching greater compensation. As hospitals vie with each other to attract qualified and dedicated nursing staff, earnings are set to rise. Besides the monetary benefits, working as a neonatal nurse provides the satisfaction of having saved and nurtured a new life. To share in the gratitude and happiness of parents is often a reward in itself. Demanding Job The job of a neonatal nurse is not very easy, though. It involves working long shifts and can be physically exhausting. Standing for hours leads to back and knee problems and fatigue. Neonatal nurses need to be constantly alert to the demands of their patients such as feeding, changing diapers and managing medication. This constant activity may lead to frenetic schedules. If combined with an emergency or a shortage of neonatal nursing staff, it results in working shifts continuously, leading to a loss of sleep. Heartbreaking Cases Medical technology developments ensure that infants today receive specialized and better care as compared to conditions even about 10 years ago. Despite the best facilities, however, there are a few failures. Not all cases result in a positive outcome and dealing with the death of a patient is difficult. Although this is true of any patient, there is something especially heartbreaking about watching an infant die. Witnessing the grief of parents who have lost a gift they waited for with joyful anticipation is also hard to take.