Nursing Jobs – Neonatal Nursing Career

Name: Donna
Job Title: Licensed Practical Nurse
Where: Loris, SC
Employer: Not Given
Years of Experience: 9
Education: Brunswick Community College: Diploma; Neonatal resuscitation program instructor
Salary: See PayScale's Research Center for the median LPN salary range.

Neonatal Nursing Career

Donna has a passion for labor. No, not construction work, but the hardest labor of all, delivering a baby. Though most of the work is done by the mother, Donna shows that it’s definitely a team effort. She shares her newborn nursery nurse resume and describes some personal experiences from her neonatal nursing career. In this labor and delivery nurse article you will also find out what steps are taken to prepare for a delivery all the way to discharge of the newborn, and read about the challenges of the average neonatal nurse. If you are prepared to learn how to care for people during a tornado, then read on.

Neonatal Nurse Job Description

I'm a level 1 newborn nursery nurse. I'm in charge of taking care of the infants in our facility during my shift. I also attend all vaginal and C-section deliveries and assist in labor and delivery by hooking up laboring patients to monitors, starting IV's, assisting with getting patients ready for C-sections, and assisting on the postpartum floor with general patient care. Part of my job is to assist doctors with circumcisions, lumbar punctures, and umbilical catheterizations. I then enter all orders into the database. Sometimes I attend infants on phototherapy, maintain their IV fluids, oxygen needs, and conduct hearing screens on infants prior to discharge. I'm one of four neonatal resuscitation program instructors at my facility. I keep staff up to date on the latest Nurse Refresher Program (NRP) updates and procedures. Patient education is also an important part of my job.

What were your steps toward a nursing career?

I started out working as a nursing assistant at the age of 18 on Long Island, N.Y. I moved to North Carolina in 1995 and started working at Loris Community Hospital as a certified nursing assistant. I decided to go back to school after assisting the nurses with a lot of their procedures. The nurses I worked with were so encouraging and helpful. They were all great inspirations.

What do you like about being a neonatal nurse?

I love the staff I work with. We function as a team instead of individuals. We assist each other with everything we do. Recently we had a 28 week gestation baby deliver at our hospital in May. The baby weighed two pounds and measured 16 inches. We had to implement CPR upon delivery. The baby took a while to respond and even then its breath was very labored, as expected. We incubated baby, started IV fluids, and then transported him to our NICU, which is in another town. Last week we received a surprise visit from the baby and his parents. They came to thank us for all we had done. He is now a healthy, ten pound baby boy with no residual effects.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your nursing career?

We are constantly short of knowledgeable staff, which can be a major challenge. Most of the nurses that assist us are from other areas of the hospital and they may have some fears about assisting on the OB/GYN/NB Nursery/L&D (obstetrician/gynecologist/new born Nursery/labor & delivery). Sometimes we don’t have enough supplies and equipment to work with. Also, many times there is not a manager around to back you in difficult situations. One last thing to consider is that nurses often find themselves working long hours and extra days without thanks from others.

Can you recall any crazy moments from your neonatal nursing career?

One time I worked two and a half shifts in a row. We had delivery after delivery after delivery. All of our labor rooms were full. We had one girl on a stretcher and another in a wheel chair in the hallway both in labor. Yes, as you might have guessed, the girl in the wheel chair delivered first. I wish I’d had a camera to record that delivery. One nurse was tilting the chair back while two assistants held the patient’s legs in position. We got the job done, though.

Another interesting time: about four years ago we had a tornado touch down. The tornado wiped out the emergency generator that regulates our section of the hospital so we had no power for our floor. We had to walk around the hospital and attend patients with flash lights. We got the work done, though. Now we know how Florence Nightingale really felt as she carried her lamp through the dark hospital visiting wounded British soldiers.

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