Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

As a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, you care for newborn babies, often those who are ill and need round-the-clock treatment to survive. With your advanced nursing education, you’re able as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, to provide medical examinations for newborns, teach parents how to care for their new child, and diagnose and treat sick infants who were born prematurely or have serious health conditions.

In this field, you have three areas of treatment to choose from as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. The first deals with healthy newborns and provides little medical assistance, as the baby is well enough to stay with the mother. The second level of care deals with sick babies who need special treatment and observation so they can regain their strength and go home with their parents.

The third level involves babies who are suffering from severe health issues or were born prematurely. These newborns need care 24/7. Since this third level of intensive care requires such constant treatment to save the infant’s life, this is the job most in demand. You typically work in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the hospital, where you monitor the babies’ health and check the performance of equipment, such as ventilators and incubators.

Though it takes a high level of education to reach this position, it opens the door to more freedom in diagnosing and treating your itty-bitty patients. After consulting with a Neonatologist, you have the freedom to determine and follow through with the appropriate course of treatment without needing a Doctor ’s approval every step of the way.