The role of a neonatal nurse - Essay Example

This research will begin with the statement that neonatal nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have advanced qualifications in neonatal care and nursing. They provide care and assess the neonates who are acutely ill and are admitted in the NICU-neonatal intensive care unit- for any reason. A neonatal nurse requires very high standards of competencies for the care of the newborns. Educational eligibility criteria for this certification are registered nurse practice and Masters in Science in Nursing. These programs are usually affiliated with medical centers and extend over a period of two years. This particular designation in the nursing field was introduced in 1980s after the certification by the National Certification Corp. Nowadays a total of 46 programs for Nurse practitioners also offer training courses for Neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs). The role of the neonatal nurses extends from physical examination of the newborns, their assessments to the critical care of the acutely ill neonates and their follow-up. The role of the neonatal nurse is conspicuous and her expertise is needed in various aspects regarding the neonate. The neonatal nurse should have command over regulating ventilators, hemodynamic monitoring, transfusion methods, blood sampling, newborn examination and assessment, management of acutely ill neonates in NICU. ... Neonatal nurse has to make sure that she assesses the underlying problem and provides immediate resuscitation to the neonate. Assessment of the