Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Personal Statement

I qualified as a paediatric nurse in 2006 and have over 10 years experience working in a variety of roles mostly acute services as outlined above.

Ever since I was a little girl, I was always telling my parents I wanted to be a doctor to help people. As I got older my sisters had babies and I always wanted to hold them and take care of them furthermore, just recently I had come across a defined profession caring for infants in a great deal of need. I have been interested in helping people in need, performing surgeries and caring for infants since I was approximately eight years old. I have recently been doing some research on a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP), and believe that the job description fits me well. I would find a colossal amount of joy in being a NNP because I love being around babies and would enjoy being able to make a difference in their early life, as well as in their family’s lives.

A neonatal nurse practitioner is in the medial career field; with this information, you know this job will always be needed. “Because nearly 40,000 low-birth- weight babies are born each year in the United States, there will continue to be a market for neonatal nurses.” (Career Focus) Research has shown that there has been an alarming decline in the

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

As I begin my fifth year of working as a nurse practitioner in a leading children’s hospital, I am certain the pediatric acute care setting is where I will continue my career of service to children and their families. Although I hold a masters degree in nursing and have been a primary care certified pediatric nurse practitioner for many years, I wish to expand my knowledge of pediatric nursing to encompass the unique and challenging aspects of pediatric acute care.

There are many different pathways a registered nurse can follow. Education requirements are anywhere from a diploma to bachelor’s degree. Diploma programs last three years. Associate’s degree takes two maybe three years depending if one is a full time student. One can obtain an associate’s degree at a community college. Diploma programs and associate degree programs provide graduates with the knowledge for and entry-level nursing position. Nurses that only have a diploma or associates degree will later get their bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s degree is a four to five year program and is offered at colleges and universities. Nurses with a bachelor’s degree will do broader work. To become a military nurse you must have a bachelor’s degree.

A baby was just born at 26 weeks gestation. Just over half the normal 40 weeks a baby should stay inside the mother. The baby is immediately whisked away and taken to be evaluated and prepared for a long journey ahead. Ever since I could remember babies and the nursery at the hospital have fascinated me. Whenever we would go visit a friend who had a baby, I would find myself peaking over the windows into the nursery. I have known for a while that working in the neonatal intensive care unit is what I want to pursue. Recently I have been looking into nurse practitioners and furthering my education beyond my BSN. Being able to care for these infants in the most critical stages of their life, and being able to provide them the support they need to survive outside the womb seems so satisfying . Neonatal nurse practitioners have years of education, deep history, detailed job description, high demands and some legal issues.

When my daughter was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) 11 years ago, I was I was blissfully ignorant of patient-to-nurse ratios and budget constraints. I had confidence in the competence of the nurses and believed that they had the time and the tools necessary to care for my child. Now that I'm a nurse myself and I see my support staff numbers cut and my patient load rise, I wonder what my patients and their families think of me.

Caring for my patient is a key to having a successful business. As a Neonatal Nurse I will respect the mother and her new born. I will show my staff how much I care by working as a team to accomplishing our goals. When I encourage and motivate the mother who may face difficulties, I will keep her baby comfortable while going through medication withdrawals. By creatively performing my job to the best of my ability and completing tasks in a timely matter, will help tremendously.

Neonatal nurse practitioners are advanced practice nurses who care for premature and sick newborns in various settings such as neonatal intensive care units, emergency rooms, delivery rooms, or specialty clinics. Although neonatal nurses care for health newborns, neonatal nurse practitioners are skilled in caring for newborns in need of specialized attention. A newborn may be premature due to premature birth, low birth weight, respiratory distress, heart abnormalities and other disorders. Since these infants are so fragile, these nurses assume a lot of responsibility that comes with the career. Their level of care allows them to monitor specialized equipment such as incubators and ventilators.

After choosing my career—Neonatal nursing. The next decision is which college I want to attend. I have had a few colleges in mind such as: Southern miss, William Carey, and University of Louisiana in Lafayette. I think that career day will be will help me finally decide on which college I would like to attend.

To become a neonatal nurse, you first need to complete a Bachelor's of Science in nursing program. Aside from enrolling in general education classes, students must also complete math and science requirements. In addition to nursing techniques and concepts, BSN programs also cover specific areas of nursing. To become license registered nurses, graduates of a BSN program must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for RNs, administered by the National Council for State Boards of Nursing. This tests individuals in broad subject areas, including health maintenance, infection control and pharmacological therapies. Registered Nurses with a bachelor’s of science in nursing will go on to a master's program to become a neonatal nurse. Nurses

My educational aspirations consists of acquiring a secondary bachelor’s degree in nursing. With this degree, I hope to continue pursuing my passion in the medical field. More specifically a career path in the pediatric unit or NICU. When I was nine years old, I was in a serious bicycling accident that left me unconscious with cuts covering a large portion of my body. My father brought me and my family to my pediatrician’s office where she spent the next two hours patching up the superficial wounds and stitching the deep ones.

Neonatal nursing is a specialty of nursing that works with newborn infants born with a variety of problems such as prematurity, birth defects, acid reflux, body malfunctions, and surgical problems. The requirements of becoming a neonatal nurse is having good communication with doctors, specialties, family members, administrators, etc. Some qualities are being fast analytical thinkers to make good choices, well-developed stress management skills, be flexible with different changes, and lastly pay attention to detail documentation. It’s a challenging job to treat patients with problems because you’re dealing with their health and family members. However, it’s a rewarding job because it plays a huge role in saving lives in babies and giving good news to the family.

Patient’s in the NICU are considered to be very tiny and fragile and immunocompromised due to their immature organ systems which can lead to many dangerous medical problems. Patricia W. Stone states “maintaining a safe environment reflects a level of compassion and vigilance for patient welfare that is as important as any other aspect of competent health care” (Stone, 2008). The patient’s safety should always be a top concerned for a nurse because in a health care facility the purpose is to heal the patient and get them on the road to recovery. Nurses must learn from the errors of the past and use their knowledge to improve the quality of nursing to the patients to ensure if errors do happen again that the use of evidence-based practices are put into place to improve their outcomes. According to Higher Quality of Care and Patient Safety, “Registered Nurses (RNs) are instrumental in achieving multiple care goals, including promoting infant health and clinical stability, maintaining the integrity and cleanliness of central catheters, and preparing families for their role in infant care and successful transition it home” (Lake, 2016). Nurses are reasonable for the education of the families of the patients to ensure that the best quality of care for the patient is maintained outside the hospital to ensure the best medical outcome for the infants.