Neonatal Nursing Essay

655 Words3 Pages
Jamila Jernigan
Mrs. McDonald
English IV
28 February 2013

Neonatal Nursing Neonatal nursing is a distinctive type of nursing. The neonatal branch of pediatric medicine is concerned with the care of newborn infants. Neonatal nurses are mostly found in the intensive care units of the hospitals. The field of neonatal nursing can be a very rewarding career.
Neonatal nursing was first established in the 1970’s. During this time it was very difficult for the profession to be recognized as an important role in the medical profession. After nearly 30yrs, and technology advancement, the demand for the profession has increased. Neonatal refers to the first 28 days of an infant life. Therefore those first 28 days must be carefully monitored and that where Neonatal nurse are vital. The first Neonatal nurse was Mildred T.Stahlman. She also started the first newborn intensive care unit.
There are three different levels of Neonatal nursing. Level one of neonatal nursing takes care of the healthy newborns. This is the level where infants at a normal birth weight are watch closely. Level two of neonatal nursing mainly deals with newborns that are ill and premature babies. These infants have to be watch very closely because their likelihood of death is at a higher percentage than healthy newborns. Level three of neonatal nursing is a little more intense. This level is usually referred to as the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The infants in the NICU are at a higher risk of contracting illnesses and may be at a higher percentage of the possible outcome of death. Some of the infants in the NICU are already experiencing some sort of medical condition or birth defect. In the NICU the nurses also are prepared to provide pre and post-surgery care for the infants. Also in the NICU the nurses may have to provide ventilation or incubation machine for

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