Erin Bodine and Mackenzie Hawk

What is a NICU nurse?

● Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse
● In general, they take care of sick and premature newborns who need cared for and
monitored 24/7 for weeks, or months until it is time for the newborns to hopefully go
home.

Educational Requirements:
● Go to school to become an RN.
● Gain 2 or more years of experience working with neonatal patients.
● Some units you can gain experience in: pediatric nursing, maternal-child nursing, well
baby nursing, and labor and delivery nursing.
● Take a certification exam for NICU nursing; must have 2,000 hrs of RN experience
before applying to take the certification exam.
● Some certification exams are; critical care neonatal nursing certification, and/or RNC
Certification for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing.
● A certification exam is not required to work in the NICU, but earning one will help with
career advancements, or qualify the nurse for more higher-level positions.

Specific Responsibilities:
● Works with newborn infants born with a variety of problems, such as, prematurity, birth
defects, infections, cardiac malformations, and surgical problems.
● Work as a team with other NICU doctors and nurses; doctors rely heavily on NICU
nurses’ practical expertise since the nurses interact more hands-on than the physicians.
● Monitor vitals, administer medications and nutrients to the newborns.
● Monitor newborns breathing.
● Provide care and comfort to newborns.
● Educate new parents on the appropriate care for their baby following discharge.
● Answer any questions that the family may have.
● Comfort the family during their tough situation as a parent with an ill newborn.

Advantages/Disadvantages:
● Emotional but rewarding when pt outcomes are successful
● High stress and fast paced, long hours
● Extended shifts = more home life
● Being the voice of the smallest, sickest patients
● Promotes positive family-infant interaction
● Less autonomy, but more advanced tech in the specialty
● Shortage of nurses calls for new job openings and growth in the field
● Primary nursing model of the NICU has led to high morale of nurses despite the high
stress of 24 hr responsibility
 ● Nurse floats the unit until she/he finds a pt or 2 that they feel connected to so that they
may be in charge of carrying out treatment as a stable source of care
● Competitive pay

Schedule:
● Work “extended shifts”- longer than 8 hours, typically RNs and NNPs work three days
per week 12 hr shifts to accommodate home life and allow time to pick up extra income
● National survey in 2014: 43% of RNs reported working more than 40 hrs/wk
● Many RNs do not get a lunch break at work d/t patient care responsibilities or inadequate
staffing coverage

Salary:
● 35% are primary earners in their households
● According to Scrubs Magazine for nurses, NICU nursing is in the top 10 highest paying
of nursing specialties
● BLS data: $72,000 /yr for all RNs and $74,000 for NICU RNs; depends on experience,
location, and employer

Career Opportunities:
● Skilled credentials call for more demand; 1.2 million RN vacancies by 2022
● Staff nurses, nurse managers, CNS, Developmental Nurse Specialists, NNPs
● Research or education
 References:

Guillemin, J. H., & Holmstrom, L. L. (1990). Mixed blessings: Intensive care for newborns. New

York: Oxford University Press.

Keels, E. L., DNP, APRN, NNP-BC. (2016). Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews(3rd ed., Vol.

16). Columbus, OH: Elsevier Science.

Neonatal Nurse Career Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2018, from

https://nurse.org/resources/neonatal-nicu-nurse/

Neonatal nursing: Scope and standards of practice. (2008). Washington, D.C.: American Nurses

Association.

Person. (2018, September 14). How to become a neonatal and intensive care (NICU) nurse.

Retrieved November 26, 2018, from

https://www.nursing.org/careers/neonatal-intensive-care-nurse/

What is neonatal nursing. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2018, from

http://nann.org/professional-development/what-is-neonatal-nursing