Neonatal nursing
Neonatal nursing requires a high degree of skill, dedication and emotional strength as they care for newborn infants with a range of problems.
An incubator is a plastic dome-shaped machine designed as a crib that regulates a newborn infant's body temperature.
Servo-controlled incubators are controlled by skin detectors which are designed to recognize the loss or gain of body heat and make adjustments to maintain the correct temperature.
Many studies showed that with the higher frequency of family interaction such as bottle feeding, skin-to-skin contact, and overall baby holding, and support allowed for patients to have overall major health improvements which eventually lead to a decreasing need for ventilators and quicker discharge rates.
[8] Some institutions may accept newly graduated RNs who have passed the NCLEX exam; others may require additional experience working in adult-health or medical/surgical nursing.
[8] The National Association of Neonatal Nurses recommends two years' experience working in a NICU before taking graduate classes.
[2] As with any registered nurse, local licensing or certifying bodies as well as employers may set requirements for continuing education.
Their competencies include the administration of high-risk medications, management of high-acuity patients requiring ventilator support, surgical care, resuscitation, advanced interventions such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or hypothermia therapy for neonatal encephalopathy procedures, as well as chronic-care management or lower acuity cares associated with premature infants such as feeding intolerance, phototherapy, or administering antibiotics.
NICU RNs undergo annual skills tests and are subject to additional training to maintain contemporary practice.
To gain entry into a nursing degree, it is required to have at least GCSE (A-C) in English, Mathematics and a science-based subject, and two to three A-levels with one being in a biological science.
Nurses who belong to the organization have the ability to locate continued education, apply for scholarships and awards, and receive other benefits.
The assessment of the neonate's appearance (colour), pulse (heart rate), grimace (in response to unpleasant stimuli such as bulb suctioning the pharynx), activity (muscle tone and/or movement), and respiratory effort via the APGAR scoring system is essential to guide the baby's care (see Understanding the APGAR scoring system).
At 10 minutes neonates with an APGAR score of 3 or lower are at risk of having neurological dysfunctions and cerebral palsy in the future although there is no guarantee.
The APGAR score assigned at 1 minute of life reflects how the fetus tolerated the in utero environment and/or the labor and delivery process.
There are, however, multiple different factors that can impact the APGAR score which include anesthesia, gestational age and initial lower oxygen.
