Key Points Every NICU Nurse Should Know
NICU (Nursing-Newborn Care) is a unique nursing profession. Each year, more than 40,000
underweight children are born with other problems, so skilled and experienced nurses are
needed to help these frail patients. Newborn care can be a very rewarding activity, and
maintaining this position has many benefits. Let’s take a look at what it means to work as a
newborn nurse and some of the benefits you will get from doing this work.
What Should NICU Nurse Must Know Before Coming To The Career?
1. Career Advancement Opportunities
As a specialized nursing department, child care offers many opportunities for career
development for registered nurses. Since you can participate in certification and advanced
training programs, there will be a variety of options to move your career further into the
narrow field of expertise, such as treating children with disabilities. For example, due to the
shortage of doctors and the need to fill nurses’ gaps to ensure that all patients receive the
health care they receive, the demand for nursing services is higher than ever. Check out
the NNP program offered by Baylor University to learn more about qualifying as a nurse
practitioner.
2. Quality Career Model
Nurses have always had good ideas, including NICU nurses. As the current shortage of
nurses across the country is affecting nurses in departments, the demand for beautiful
nurses in this field is growing exponentially. Once you have qualified as a NICU nurse, you
can find work in almost any location. In addition to the high demand for nurses and
obstetricians, professionals working in the health care sector are also expected to receive
generous rewards. Other than this, they have to arrange quality equipment for themselves
that can come from different suppliers like a protective gowns supplier.
3. Career Satisfaction
Helping any patient can be satisfying, but knowing that you have played an important role
in helping your child develop optimal health can be an incredible reward. Care in the infant
health care department can be emotional because you will also have to deal with parents
who are worried about their expensive arrivals, and babies are often very sick because they
can be unpredictable and unhealthy, and in fact, they cannot communicate with you. Being
able to watch the babies you care for becomes stronger, healthier, and more stable until
they and their parents go home and start their lives.
4. Minimum Physical Exertion
If you want to avoid other demanding aspects of your nursing career, such as lifting and
moving older patients, pediatric care maybe your best option. Working in the infant health
care department is not always a physical endeavor because your patients are small.
Compared to other types of care, nurses in the neonatal care unit often spend less time in
lifting, moving and moving patients. Instead, they will carefully examine and see patients
throughout the operation.
Are You Satisfied For Becoming A NICU Nurse?
Although nursing in the neonatal health care department can be a very rewarding activity
and an opportunity to help a newborn start a better start in life, there are some aspects of
the job that should be carefully considered before you decide if it is right for you. . You
need to be willing to do the following:
1. Emotional anxiety
The infant health care sector is often a source of great stress, especially for parents who
are currently experiencing the most difficult times in their lives once they have brought
their baby into the world. In addition, infants are often the most unhealthy patient type,
which means a NICU nurse need to be vigilant all the time, where conditions can change at
any time. Patients seem to be getting stronger and healthier and can fall suddenly at any
time, and you need to be prepared to deal with this situation quickly and effectively as well
as the side effects to parents and families.
2. High requirements
Although the NICU nurse may not require as much physical work as other nurses, it may be
more demanding and heavier. Babies can be one of those patients who inadvertently need
treatment, and because they are unable to share their feelings with you, things are often
complicated. In addition, working with parents can be frustrating, stressful, and fearful for
their children which can lead to depression.
3. Talk about NICU nurses
Nursing standards have become one of the problems NICU nurses face. Compared to other
types of care, this service often has behavioral problems, which are not always easy to fix.
Sometimes the problem may be that there is no escape, it can be frustrating, for example,
if you need to decide to turn off the life support of a strong patient but it will not be good.
As a NICU nurse, you may feel a lot of stressful situations, the decisions you make and the
support you provide should be positive.
4. Professional skills required
Newborn care requires a lot of professional skills, you may need to take the time to develop
and improve. There is no room for error when working with this nurse because even the
slightest difference in dosage or treatment can have a devastating effect on frail patients
such as the newborn. NICU nurses should have excellent expertise in the case, not to be
overlooked, because the situation is changing so fast that patients are unable to talk to
them.
If your main job involves helping babies and their parents, then newborn care may be a
good choice for you — but it is useful to know more about what this job means.
Conclusion
Every role in the healthcare industry is demanding. Some have to pay for their health while
others have to give up their social life and dedicate themselves in this role. However, this
causes more satisfaction than anything else. If you are planning to become a NICU nurse,
then make sure you have to dedicate yourself to this profession. It requires a lot of things
from you, but also gives you more opportunities to rise and shine. So, prepare yourself for
the better days ahead.