Essay On Neonatal Icu Nursing

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nursing entails many different aspects, such as the roles the nurses play in the care of the patient, disadvantages in the field as well as building bonds with patients and their families that may last a lifetime. Having a child admitted to the neonatal ICU is a terrifying experience for parents as the outcome of their child’s health is unknown. Neonatal nurses are vital not only to their patient’s lives but also to the families as they are trusting and expecting the nurse to get their child back to a healthy and stable state. It takes a special person to be able to take on a task full of stress and responsibilities as well as the special moments that come.

The Life of a NICU Nurse

The babies who enter the NICU are at high risk of growing insufficiently and even death due to premature birth, drug addiction from the mother, and possible deformities. To prevent a fatal outcome, nurses must carry out pain management care, working alongside physicians and other nurses in creating a

diagnosis/prognosis plan, support, and educating the family.
A major part of being a NICU nurse is having the capability to help parents bond with their babies and provide emotional support and empathy. Encouraging the development of attachment to the parents with the infant can increase the outcome of the child’s health in a more positive direction. Examples of how nurses create these bonds are by having the mother and father practice skin-to-skin contact, everyday activities such as changing the infant’s diaper and relaxing techniques like softly grazing the baby’s hand.
As with every job, a nurse seeking this position will need to gain certification.

Pediatrics is a whole other world compared to adult care which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics highly recommends becoming a certified child life specialist. By gaining this certification, a nurse will be continuing safe hospital environments that are crucial to care surrounded by families. To be eligible to be granted the certification, a nurse must have the minimum of a bachelor’s degree in the areas of child and human development, or a field of proximity that includes ten courses at the college level in the classes of child life. Finally, a nurse must undergo an internship of at least 480 hours alongside a certified child life specialist (Desai, Engelke, Sira, Smith, 2014). When all is said and done, and an RN can step onto the floor of the NICU, he or she can expect to make an average of $54, 837 here in Columbus, OH according to

glassdoor.com.
Of All the Specialized Fields, Why This One?
Pediatric nursing is the fan favorite among nursing students. I believe, however, that NICU nursing is a courageous field. The babies brought into the incubators are holding on to life by the grasp of their tiny, underdeveloped fingers. It takes a strong heart and soul to be able to accept success and even failure at the beginning stages of life.
When I think about why I went into nursing, it is because the days always change and have rewards whether it be through life lessons or happy moments between you and your patient. Most importantly I chose to nurse because I feel it is my calling to help people in their most vulnerable moments and that is why I believe NICU Nursing is the place for me. Anyone who knows me knows I have the biggest heart and want to make a change in the world through lifting spirits, and I feel a baby and their family in the NICU deserves a nurse with those motivations. Being on the NICU team, it is important to keep your ducks in a row and to constantly be motivated to stay on top of the many assignments each shift. I am very organized and always willing to lend an extra hand to improve whatever it is I am working on and a being a nurse requires these features, especially when life is on the line. Lastly, I am an extrovert and have always wanted to work with people in my career, and the idea of building bonds with families is something I feel I am capable of achieving. I am very empathetic, and I love to help people through difficult times.
A significant factor that has gone into why I feel the NICU is the place for me is because you are always being kept on your toes and constantly learning new things every day. Being in an intensive care unit makes each day a surprise, and I feel I will always be excited to go work. I love children, but I also want a challenge out of my career, and the NICU is the perfect place to meet those ideals.
The Not so Glorified Side of Nursing
With every job comes faults. In nursing, a leading issue is horizontal bullying. A primary cause originates from the nurses who have been working for many years, so-called “seniority.” These nurses have the belief that they stand above the nurses the less experienced nurses and therefore feel they can direct the ship. Many hospitals do not view it in these terms but rather by who is well skilled and trained. The nurses with the many years behind them will feel undermined and target the ones who are possibly taking their position(s) away. Another way nurses deal with seniority issues regards physician-to-nurse relationships. Physicians have the upper hand in the hospital system and will ignore nurses because it is a stigma that less schooling equates to less knowledge. These actions relate back to bullying within the nursing team. A nurse who is treated poorly by a physician may take project their frustrations onto a nurse who they may view as less capable. The health system is all about working as a team and a lot of times egos get in the way of performing in that manner (Ganstra, 2015).

Wrapping It Up
Overall, nursing is an amazing field that offers plenty of opportunities and unique qualities making it different and ever changing. At the end of the day, it comes down to how amazing and critical nurses are to a patient’s recovery. Neonatal nurses have a special touch for the little patients they have taken under their wing. It is amazing how the nurses are with the babies through every inch and pound gained, every triumph and sometimes a loss. NICU nurses hold special places in their hearts for the infants they care for, as the families hold a special place in their hearts for the nurses who show love and tend to each day, even when the going gets tough. NICU nurses have the ultimate motivation to advocate for their patients for they are the speakers to the ones who cannot speak.