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How Much Money Do Neonatal Nurses Make – If you’re considering a career as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse, congratulations—NICU nurses have one of the toughest jobs in medicine. A NICU nurse is a specialized nurse who cares for sick or premature babies, including babies with birth defects. While the decision to become a nurse is easy for many people, deciding whether to become a neonatal nurse is much more difficult. Here are some things to consider before becoming a NICU nurse.
4 Things to Consider 1. You will need extensive training and education
How Much Money Do Neonatal Nurses Make
Critical care nurses need at least an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in nursing and a passing score on the NCLEX-RN exam, as is required for most nurses. The National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) also recommends that you spend two years working in a hospital with an intensive care unit to gain valuable experience for the practical skills needed to care for babies.
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You can also earn an RNC-NIC certification to enhance your credentials and demonstrate your dedication to the field to employers.
Dr. Janice Smalowitz, dean of the Montclair State University School of Nursing, and Dr. Courtney Reinisch, director of Montclair’s undergraduate nursing program, agree that critical care nurses need a well-rounded education. “A well-rounded education that provides a solid foundation in critical thinking, application of best evidence to practice, and clinical acumen with practical technical skills is essential.”
Some neonatal nurses report experiencing less physical stress compared to other nurses. why? Some think that this is due to the need to treat newborns, who are much easier than adult patients. As an NICU nurse, you spend less time lifting and moving patients and more time standing or sitting holding babies. Also, NICU nurses usually have more “downtime” because sleep is a very important component of an infant’s growth and recovery.
However, while you may experience less physical stress, being an ICU nurse tends to be emotionally demanding, especially given the vulnerability of this population. Dr. Smalowitz and Reinish say that “being able to care for and protect these children is very important. Having the spiritual and emotional resilience to cope with the loss and support the carer team is paramount.”
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It takes a special person to become a NICU nurse. It is ideal for nurses who are empathetic not only to newborns, but also to parents and other family members.
A child’s condition can change rapidly without warning, and this requires intensive care nurses to be able to react quickly and make difficult decisions in a short period of time to help the patient recover. Sometimes this involves making quick mental calculations or deciding on treatment options.
Kathryn Burger, BSN, MSOL, RN, NEA-BC at registerednursing.org, says critical care nurses “must have the ability to think critically in immediate and urgent situations, respond quickly to changes in the infant, unravel the mysteries of why problems have occurred or are occurring changes, and it’s in the full environment of a fish tank, with anxious parents watching [your] every move.”
Critical care nurses must be able to think quickly and clearly, be highly observant, and have the ability to work in a multidisciplinary team.
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If you are interested in a career as a NICU nurse, know that there are career opportunities for NICU nurses. With a few years of experience and additional certifications or education under their belts, neonatal nurses can become neonatal nurse practitioners or even move into more administrative positions, such as an intensive care unit manager.
Degreechoices.com reports that additional career paths for NICU nurses include NICU clinical nurse, chief nurse, and pediatric nurse practitioner.
It doesn’t get any easier to watch the pain that parents have to endure, but the experience can put your own life into perspective, and you’ll learn what’s really important in life. While the decision to become a critical care nurse ultimately depends on what kind of person you are and what you believe you can handle, many critical care nurses also report a tremendous sense of reward from their careers, despite any physical or mental stress they may face, especially when they can see babies who were once in critical condition become adults.
To learn more about what to expect as a critical care nurse, read the perspective of critical care nurses from a clinical nurse specialist at American Family Children’s Hospital at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, Madison.
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Night shift nurses need extra help to stay healthy and active on the job. Use these top 10 tips to help you adjust to night shift care and stay at your best. Neonatal nurses perform important health care work by caring for newborns. Here’s everything you need to know about neonatal nurse salaries.
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Many nurses work as registered nurses (RNs) in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) departments of hospitals, caring for pregnant women and newborns. Neonatal nurses take on even more specialized roles. They work with newborns with birth complications or developmental problems. Neonatal nurses’ patients are premature babies and babies with defects, infections, or malformations.
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Neonatal nurses are compensated in line with other RNs. This page looks at the salaries of neonatal nurses and the factors that can affect their pay. Our other guides explore the duties of a neonatal nurse and information on how to become a neonatal nurse.
Along with other RNs, neonatal nurse salaries vary based on many factors, including education level. Neonatal nurses—sometimes called neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses—tend to earn higher salaries with more advanced degrees.
The table below uses data from MedScape’s 2020 RN/LPN Compensation Report to demonstrate how education affects earnings. On average, RNs with a doctorate earn $14,000 more than those with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all areas of health care, including obstetrics/gynecology and critical care. Many hospitals have placed restrictions on parental visitation. While parents can usually spend as much time as they want with their babies, some hospitals have reduced that time to one hour a day.
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In some cases, the additional use of personal protective equipment prevented parents and nurses from making important skin-to-skin contact with infants.
Like other healthcare professionals, NICU nurses often meet with families through virtual video calls instead of face-to-face meetings. This can be difficult, especially in emotional situations between parents and children. Finally, social distancing made it difficult for nurses to provide peer support.
We often hear about the gender pay gap in management positions or male-dominated fields such as technology or finance, but the gender pay gap also exists in nursing.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), women make up 86.7% of working RNs. Despite this, male neonatal nurses earn significantly higher salaries than female nurses, according to data from the Journal of Nursing Regulation.
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Experience also affects the salary of a NICU nurse. As neonatal nurses gain experience in their profession over time, they receive a salary increase. Some critical care nurses find higher-paying jobs at different hospitals or doctors’ offices.
The chart below shows how the salaries of neonatal nurses have increased over time. Payscale data as of May 2022 shows that critical care nurses can potentially expect to see a salary increase of more than $30,000 over the course of their career.
Location also has a significant impact on pay. Factors such as demand, the rural-urban gap, the cost of living and government funding of some hospitals can factor into the salary.
The BLS does not provide information specific to neonatal nurses. However, changes in NICU nurse salaries across the country remain consistent with overall RN salaries.
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RNs earn a median salary of more than $100,000 in two states: California, where they earn a median salary of $124,000, and Hawaii, where they earn a median salary of $106,360. Other states with median wages above $90,000 include Oregon, the District of Columbia, and Alaska.
Certification, education level, and specialization can affect RN salaries
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