Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ( Nicu )

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2016), preterm birth are the birth that happened before 37 ended weeks of pregnancy and is one of the number reason of newborn deaths and the second prominent cause of deaths in children below five. The preterm babies have chances of an amplified risk of illness, disability and death. In the first weeks, the complications of premature birth may include: breathing problems, heart problems, brain problems, temperature control problems, gastrointestinal problems, blood problems, metabolism problems, immune system problems. Long-term complications includes cerebral palsy, impaired cognitive skills, vision problem, hearing problems, dental problems, behavioral and psychological problems, chronic health issues.

Neonatal nurses are registered nurses who are responsible to care for newborns who are critically ill or premature. (Slide 1: Neonatal nurses with babies [Photos]).

There are a lot of different equipment and people who are involved in the NICU. The equipment varies from feeding tubes to ventilators and many other things. Feeding tubes are used on the babies who are unable to eat from a bottle. The nurse puts the tube either through the mouth or nose and it goes all the way to the stomach. Ventilators are used when a baby has trouble breathing. It helps to keep oxygen flowing through out the baby’s body until the lungs are able to fully function by themselves. Phototherapy is also used in the NICU, it is used to get rid of bilirubin which is the cause of jaundice. In the NICU they use Monitor's which allows them to keep track of the babies vital signs. “Arterial lines are some what similar to an IV but they are placed in arteries and are used to measure blood pressure and the oxygen level.” Isolettes are the small bed that are enclosed by clear hard plastic. Infant warmers are beds that

Ever since I was about 10, I was extremely interested in becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner. I love babies and love helping others so I figured this particular job could be perfect for me. A neonatal nurse practitioner means you provide care for newborns in need of specialized attention for about the first month of their life. These newborns are usually premature or very sick and the nurse practitioners are usually their primary caregiver. NNP’s are responsible for their patients, exercising judgment when necessary to assess, diagnose, and initiate medical procedures. Many tasks include monitoring specialized equipment, including incubators and ventilators. Providing education and support to patients’ families regarding neonatal, intensive

I am interested in pursuing a career in nursing. A career that really interests me is a neonatal intensive care nurse. This is a type of nurse that works in a neonatal intensive care unit. These nurses often work with infants who were born prematurely, born with birth defects, or infants who are having critical complications during the first month after birth. Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit require constant monitoring and are often being treated for life threatening diseases. According to The National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) approximately 40,000 infants are born each year in the United States needing specialized NICU care. NICU nurses are always present when a baby is being delivered so they can provide immediate

A n eonatal nurse practitioner is a nurse practitioner that specializes in caring for neonates. Nurse practitioners are in the broad category of advanced practice registered nurses, or APRN’s. In order to become a neonatal nurse practitioner, one must first be a licensed registered nurse and have a BSN. Many programs also require nurses to have two years of clinical experience before starting the program to become a nurse practitioner (United States, 2014). To become a neonatal

Ever wonder who the magical people are behind all the miracles that happen on babies? Well those magical people are doctors, specifically neonatal surgeons. A neonatal surgeon is a medical doctor who works on newborn/infant babies that are either premature, have a certain condition that needs to be treated, or just ill overall. It is a subspecialization of being a pediatric surgeon. What makes a neonatal surgeon different from a general pediatric surgeon is that a neonatal surgeon has advanced knowledge on how to operate on a baby without making their condition even worse. Neonatal surgeons usually perform operations on babies who are born with chest, abdominal

What is a day like in the life of a neonatologist? What is a neonatologist? Neonatology is a specialty of pediatrics. Pediatrics is a branch of medicine dealing only with children. Neonatology is a branch of pediatrics dealing only with babies. The neonatal intensive care unit, of a hospital, is only used for babies with illnesses beyond the common cold. For example a baby with underdeveloped lungs would need to be placed in the neonatal intensive care unit. According to Tania Heller in On Becoming a Doctor “A neonatologist is a physician who specializes in the care and treatment of newborns, particularly those who are premature or ill” (Heller 128). Neonatologist job is usually only required in babies one to two months of age (OKcollegeStart).

According to the World Health Organisation [WHO] (2014) pre-term babies are at increased risk of illness, disability and death. It also states that globally 15 million babies are born pre-term and the figures are rising. In England and Wales during 2012 7.3% of live births were pre-term under 37 weeks nearly 85% of all babies born prematurely will have a very low birth weight (Office for National Statistics, 2012). Pre-term birth is associated with respiratory complications and lung disease, long-tern neurological damage and problems with bowel function (Henderson & Macdonald, 2011). Neonatal services provide care to babies who are born prematurely or are ill and require specialist care. It is seen that sixty per cent of infant deaths occur in the neonatal period (DH,

Jace Sauseda Clinical Rotation Mrs. Ysaguirre 17 November 2015 NICU Clinical Report At the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit doctors, nurses, and all staff unite together with one primary goal for each new life they receive, that goal being to achieve the best outcome for each premature and critically ill baby. The NICU, at University Hospital, care for 600 infants annually. Inside is a 58-bed facility, offering the highest level care led by on-site neonatologist (University Health system). The (NICU) is specialized to care for premature infants (those less than 37 weeks gestation) as well as sick newborns.

For the past two decades, the limit of gestational viability has been 22-24 weeks (Bhat, Weinberger, & Hanna, 2012). Around 50 years ago, a premature infant born between 22-24 weeks was not considered viable and resuscitation was only considered at 27-28 weeks (Kushchel & Kent, 2011). Medicine and technology advances have improved neonatology drastically and infants are surviving at lower gestational ages. However, many studies show very low survival rates of 22-week neonates and some physician refuse to resuscitate and provide only comfort care. In the NICHD Neonatal Network between 2003 and 2007, infants that were incubated and resuscitated had a 6% survival rate at 22 weeks and a 55% survival rate at 24 weeks (Bhat et al, 2012). Another study followed a hospital for many years were they delivered 85 infants at 22-week

As a subspecialty of the field of pediatrics, neonatology concentrates on the care of newborns, especially premature infants, those presenting with illness, injury, or disease at birth, and newborns with developmental challenges or deformities. Neonatologists practice primarily in a hospital setting, most often in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).

Career Summary A neonatal nurse focuses on providing care newborn infants and families when the newborn’s health conditions requires more support than traditional postnatal wards. Neonatal nurses work with newborns with variety of problems such as congenital defect, prematurity, surgical problems, and other body malformations. The Neonatal period is described as the first month of life, but for these newborns, they are usually sick for months. The field covers those newborns showing problems after the birth, infants who have illness after birth, and those with chronic health conditions because of the premature birth.

Neonatal intensive care units (NICU) are often entirely composed of open ward care taking environments; however, some hospitals are using a hybrid of both private rooms and open wards. Many hospitals have converted part of their open ward environment into private care taking rooms where the family is welcomed to stay all hours of the day in comfort and privacy. Private rooms allow for the parents to bond with their child more intimately than if they visit their baby in an open ward setting. There are a limited number of private rooms available in many hospitals, and research shows that infants in the NICU have better outcomes and lower comorbidities when they are cared for in a private room environment where the lighting,

Infants within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are one of the most vulnerable patient population in the hospital. The quality and safety of these patients are at top priority because of their immune systems have not fully developed yet causing them to be at the highest risk for infections. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM, 2001), quality is defined as “the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge” (Masters, 2005). The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) defines safety as, “the minimization of risk of harm to patients and