What is is the complete differences in neonatal, maternity, and pediatric nurses? To be any of these, do you have to become a nurse practicioner? Neonatal works in the neonatal (preemie/at risk) nursery. Maternity works on the maternity ward with new moms and healthy babies. Pediatric nurse works on pediatric (children) unit. You do not need to be a nurse practitioner but would need to be a CNA, LPN or RN. Neonatal refers to the first 28 days of life. Neonatal care, as known in specialized nurseries or intensive care, has been around since the 1960's.
Roles:
A neonatal staff nurse works in either a Level I, II, or III nursery [Note: These levels of care are set forth by the Perinatal Regionalization Model and are also described in the Guidelines for Perinatal Care, 4th ed., published by the American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1997, Elk Grove Village.].
A Level I is usually a healthy newborn nursery鈥攍argely nonexistent now because mothers and babies have a very short hospital stay these days and often share the same room.
Level II is an intermediate care or special care nursery where the baby may be born prematurely or may be suffering from an illness; these babies may need supplemental oxygen, intravenous therapy, specialized feedings, or more time to mature before discharge.
The Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admits all neonates (during the first 28 days of life) who cannot be treated in either of the other two nursery levels. These babies may be small for their age, premature, or sick term infants who require high technology care, such as ventilators, special equipment or incubators, or surgery. The Level III units may be in a large general hospital or part of a children鈥檚 hospital. Neonatal nurses provide the direct patient care to these infants.
Requirements for neonatal nurses are established by the institution which uses a list of practice skills to assess nurses鈥?abilities in using medications, math calculations, intravenous lines, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and other knowledge needed for direct patient care.
Continuing education requirements are mandated by the state or a certifying body. The state board of nursing sets the number of hours, if any, required during a 2-to-3 year period (depending on the time of renewal) to maintain the registered nurse (RN) license. As a staff or an advanced practice nurse, you may also hold national certification 鈥攁n additional exam that demonstrates specialized knowledge in neonatal nursing.
Practice Settings:
As a neonatal nurse, you may work in neonatal intensive care units taking care of acutely ill neonates and premature infants or you may choose to work in mother-baby or newborn nurseries taking care of healthy newborns.
Qualifications:
Entry level requirements for neonatal nurses vary from institution to institution. Some hospital or medical centers may require one year of adult health or medical surgical nursing while other units hire RNs after graduation from an accredited school or college of nursing who have passed a state board of nursing (NCLEX) exam for licensure. The type and length of nursing experience also varies from one institution to another, but many require no previous experience. It depends on whether positions are plentiful and if a scarcity of qualified nurses exists in that particular area of the country.
Education:
A college or university education to prepare as an RN takes 2 or 4 years, depending on whether students attend a bachelor鈥檚- or associate-degree program. After graduating, students take the state licensing exam to become an RN. There is no special program for neonatal nursing in basic RN education. Some nursing programs have an elective course in neonatal nursing.
Once you graduate and have obtained some experience as an RN in a neonatal intensive care unit (the National Association of Neonatal Nurses recommends two years), you might want to consider going to graduate school to become a neonatal nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist.
Salary Range:
The salary depends on the cost of living in your area. In the Midwest, nurses with no experience may start in the upper 30s to mid-40s for an annual salary. On either coast, the salaries are usually higher. In Southern areas, beginning nurses start at about $30,000 per year. The upper range for someone with no experience is around $48,000. Salary ranges may be higher for experienced nurses.
Maternity Nurse: Provides care and education for women/family during pregnancy and prepares and supports the family for the childbirth experience.
Pediatric Nurses: Provides care for infants, toddlers, children, teens, and encourages the involvement of parents/family. The nurse develops a plan of care to meet the specific growth and development and cultural needs of the patient and family. The pediatric nurse may work in a variety of settings and or may have specialized training. For example, a setting may be a well baby or teen clinic and a specialty may be pediatric critical care.
I hope this helps you! You could check with a local school in your area but as far as I know,,,you won't be in any of these departments without a four year program behind you....
If you want the $$$ and the respect...do the four year...
Call the hospital and contact the nursing director for an appointment...work up some good questions for her/him about the duties, training, income differences between CNA
LPN and RN.
CNA's they get all the "grunt" work, the lifting, cleaning, feeding,
LPN are a step up from cna's
RN, top of the line.... |
