Neonatal Nurse – Advantages and Disadvantages of work

Exercising any profession, indistinctly carries risks, but also great satisfactions, Neonatal Nursing does not escape from this, since it has advantages and disadvantages that are necessary to know, especially if you plan to become one.

Advantages of being a Neonatal Nurse

• It is a profession in which it is usually a great support for affected families, especially if their child has a disease that makes it necessary to stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Many times the baby’s parents become distressed, depressed or filled with anxiety, which is why the neonatal nurse plays an important supportive role in those difficult moments.
• They are the support for babies who are sick: If a baby is born fragile, either because it is presenting some disease, the nurse acts with a team of professionals providing the support they require and of course helps the little ones to overcome the obstacles that are presented with anxiety, encouragement and all the necessary specialized help.
• They help parents: In what way? Easy, it can provide specialized care so that they can take the child home in the shortest possible time. In other words, they make it much easier for the parents, so that they can take them home fully recovered.

Being a baby who has been in the care of a NICU, parents may feel fearful and even think that they will not be able to do things correctly. In this case, the neonatal nurses help them learn how to take care of the child and how to provide the necessary medical care. In this way they can gain confidence and trust in what they are doing.

• They gain experience as neonatal nurses: without a doubt, experience is an indispensable requirement, since as you gain it, you can climb up the career ladder. According to data provided by the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN), this is related to the promotion possibilities that nurses can have:
• Nurse manager.
• Clinical Nurse Specialist.
• Developmental care specialist.
• Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

Ability to work and travel across the country: if you are working in a certain location and there is a possibility that you can collaborate in another state, it is very possible. Simply put, you can take on any assignment. In addition to the monthly salary, you may have the opportunity to receive additional benefits, such as transportation allowance, housing, and others.

Disadvantages of being a Neonatal Nurse

While it is true that being a neonatal nurse has great advantages, it unfortunately has disadvantages or aspects against that we must know, let’s know it:

• It is an extremely stressful job: it is important to consider that you are working with tiny babies, therefore, it can be said that the nurses who take care of them are responsible for their lives, which are even prone to suffer a crisis at any time. That is why they must be aware of their health at all times. Because of all this, it can be said that the nurse is under constant pressure.
• It is a demanding job: it is important to understand that this profession requires the care of newborn babies and some in very delicate condition, which is why they require extreme care, the mere fact of making a mistake can be fatal for the baby’s life. When babies are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), it involves making some difficult decisions in some cases.
• Parents demand attention: although it is true that having a baby in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is not easy, parents sometimes feel pressured and anxious and want to be with their children all day long, which is something they often do not understand. Neonatal nurses have to deal with this, even if they do not understand the product of their situation.
• It is a job that requires a demanding mental agility: being a neonatal nurse is a job that requires knowing exactly the right doses to give to the baby. It is important to understand that the little ones can become complicated in an untimely manner, which is why they require an experienced neonatal nurse. That is to say, she must act with precision in order to avoid complications.

Summary

One may think that the profession of Neonatal Nurse is an extremely complicated job, when in fact it is not. While it is true that at certain times they need to be strong, it is more satisfying to see that those babies who have arrived at the unit have been able to recover satisfactorily.

Likewise, it is gratifying to see how they have served as a support to parents, especially when they are new parents and do not know how to take care of their little ones at home.