The Work of a Neonatal Nurse

A neonatal nurse is a medical professional that cares for newborns with health problems. These babies are usually premature, but some of them are born with birth defects that need to be carefully monitored. There are three stages of neonatal nursing that you could potentially work in, and each stage involves a different level of care and commitment. If you like working with babies and are thinking about specializing in a certain field of nursing, this could definitely be an option for you. Here is an overview of neonatal nursing to help you see if this is a good career for you.

Job Duties of a Neonatal Nurse

The job duties of a neonatal nurse will vary by patient, by ward, and by day. Thus you will have to learn new information and adjust to new requirements every single day if you want to work in this profession. Listed below are some common neonatal nurse job duties:

• Assisting physicians as they check the health condition of patients
• Monitoring the machines that sustain life for newborns
• Feeding newborns and changing their diapers
• Training parents to care for their children after they are released from the hospital
• Checking the vital signs of neonatal patients regularly
• Administering medications to babies

There are plenty of other duties that may come about for the job, but that gives you a good idea as to what you may experience if you choose to work in this career,

Salary Levels of a Neonatal Nurse

A neonatal nurse salary is similar to a pediatric nurse salary as these fields both involve specialized training and skills. In some areas though, neonatal nurses earn a little bit more than pediatric nurses because they have to work with intensive care patients. Here is a look at some of the salary levels you could experience in this profession:

Salary by Position

• Emergency Room Registered Nurse: $60,212 per year
• Family Nurse Practitioner: $76,975 per year
• Neonatal Nurse Practitioner: $80,242 per year
• Nurse Practitioner: $63,542 per year
• Pediatrics Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner: $54,028 per year
• Registered Nurse: $51,093 per year
• Respiratory Therapist: $55,000 per year

Salary by Certification

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS): $57,769 per year
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): $77,599 per year
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: $58,075 per year
• Critical Care: $57,536 per year
• Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) Provider: $61,568 per year
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS): $69,189 per year
• Pediatrics: $72,482 per year
• Registered Nurse (RN): $59,413 per year
• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT): $51,620 per year

Salary by Years of Experience

• Less than 1 year: $48,908 per year
• 1-4 years: $50,161 per year
• 5-9 years: $60,109 per year
• 10-19 years: $68,344 per year
• 20 years or more: $72,953 per year

How to Become a Neonatal Nurse

If you think you want to become a neonatal nurse, you will need to go through a college degree program with an emphasis on neonatal care. This could be a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), an associate's degree in nursing (ADN), or a master of science in nursing (MSN). It just depends on where you want to work within the field. In just a few short years though, you could be working at a hospital or clinic as a neonatal nurse.