Neonatal Nursing

As a young child, I was always drawn towards the field of health care. I remember reading about the many options that are held within it and wondering what path it would lead me on. Neonatal nursing was something that always came into my mind, but it was often pushed to the side by people and teachers who thought I should become a pediatrician instead. This became a real struggle for me, but as I grew up and began researching and exploring the health care field I came to a decision for myself. I came to the realization that everyone was wrong. I didn’t want to be a doctor at all. This sudden burst of independence from what everyone else wanted was the first step to reaching my end goal. Along with this, an accelerated education, volunteer

Throughout my time on the Mother Baby Care Unit, I have faced many instances in which I have been able to reflect on both my patients and the care that I was providing them. One situation in particular that I found myself critically reflecting upon involved a new mother who was feeling slightly stressed about being discharged as her newborn son would not be going home with her. For confidentiality reasons, this patient will be given the pseudonym of Kayla for the remainder of this reflection.

The article depicted the human side of nurses; it tells how nurses formulate that that bond with their patients and their families, nurturing them through life challenges to the end, while showing the emotional impact that is produced from that formed relationship. Through the entire article, it was very easy to see the

As an aspiring Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, I will graduate from UNCG with my BSN, work for a year as an RN, and eventually attend a graduate school to accomplish my ultimate goal of obtaining my DNP. As a neonatal nurse practitioner, it is imperative to exude compassion, while demonstrating critical thinking skills when faced with arduous circumstances. I understand that working with distressed families in the NICU will be a challenging task, both emotionally and physically. I am aware that it is my responsibility as a nurse to not only know how to provide physical care to my patient's, but to also attend to their emotional needs and the needs of their loved ones. Nurses are expected to be the liaison between families and doctors. So, in the

Another big role in a pediatric nurse’s job is telling the parents disturbing news when it is necessary. Telling the family any bad news is more of a process than anyone might think. The pediatric nurse responsible for this task must first think ahead, plan for the worse, and plan for the reaction of the family. The pediatric nurse must set time apart from their busy day to be able to spend it with the family of the patient. One is never sure how the family will react or how long it will take to explain all the details and answer all the family’s questions. , According to Crawford in his journal “It is also helpful in many cases to have a witness to what was actually said as sometimes, despite all the care and attention to detail, mixed messages can be conveyed” (Crawford 3). In the article, it also states that the pediatric nurse should give open and honest information to the family. The nurse should start the conversation off letting the family know that they are here to support and encourage. The nurse should be straight forward from there on out and should refrain from using elaborate or confusing words with the child’s family. The nurse should avoid not only confusing the family but also excuses, jargon, elaborate reasoning, and the temptation to speed through the bad news without making 100 percent positive the family understands what they are being told. When the nurse has properly told the family the bad news, he or she must

The nurse had been in the nursing profession for fifteen years and working on the NICU Unit for five years. She was of Caucasian background and a single mother of two young children. She first met the patient when she was admitted with complication during the sixth month of her pregnancy. The nurse had extensive training and experience working in the paediatric unit of the hospital where she was employed. Caring for children is her passion since she lost her first child due to birth complications and raised her two children alone while putting herself through university.

As my days at East Ridge High School are coming to an end I, as well as many of my peers, have come to a very important fork in the road to our future- Where do I go next? When I ask myself this I have to answer with another question, Where can I attend school that will allow me to further my education and fulfill my dreams while simultaneously maintaining the consistent love and support of my family as well as remaining financially responsible? For me, there is only one answer- Chattanooga State College

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.

A woman has a natural instinct to nurture and protect a child, especially their own. A mother as they give birth to their child puts great trust in the doctors and nursing staff as they care for their child. However, what if that confidence is misplaced? What if the nurse who takes your child back to the nursery places your baby in harms way? There are many cases of malpractice and medical mistakes, however in some cases that is not what happens. In some instances, the patient is murdered.

Dying is a process that involves the entire family; that is to say, the family that is defined by the person. The nurse must be aware that this is not only an individual process but a family process. This involves recognizing family dynamics and communication patterns and facilitating healthy interactions.

A nursing philosophy is the thoughts and beliefs about the job of a nurse based on one’s values. My values that have formed over the years have influenced me to purse a forever career as a nurse. I grew up in a small town Smithfield, Pennsylvania with my parents and younger brother. My community consisted of close relationships between the residents. Every one helped and cared for one another when needed. The practices of my community guided me to want to become a nurse. I want to continue to care for my community and give back to them by treating their illnesses and providing them with better health care. I am particularly interested in caring for pediatric patients. My goal is to try to provide every infant a chance to live their beautiful life created for them by God. While doing this, the primary focus of being a nurse will be to accommodate my patients and allow them to become a healthy person again.

Moral distress is describe as the phenomenon in which a nurse understands and has clarity about a right action to take, but is constrained from taking it. It differs from an ethical dilemma in which there is recognition of a problem; in which at least two ethically justifiable but opposing solutions can be applied (American Nurses Association, 2014). Moral distress was first recognized among the nursing field; because of this, many of the studies have focused on the nursing population. However moral distress has also expanded to many other fields, making it now a multidisciplinary concern

Kristen M. Swanson RN, PhD, FAAN derives her Theory of Caring from the works of multiple nursing scholars, combined with empirical evidence and phenomenological investigations, to create a middle-range theory applicable to almost any healthcare setting (Swanson, 1991). The middle-range theory evolved partially due to Dr. Swanson’s doctoral studies under Dr. Jean Watson (Wojnar, 2014, p. 689). Dr. Swanson’s theory contains a perinatal background, initially developed specifically in attempt to explain miscarriage experiences (Wojnar, 2014). By conducting three different studies involving three different perspectives, Dr. Swanson was able to establish and define five concepts, caring processes, critical to her theory (Swanson, 1998). The three perspectives investigated by Dr. Swanson were women who miscarried, NICU caregivers, and at-risk mothers. With each study, her definitions of the five caring processes evolved (Swanson, 1991).

Ethical decisions and issues in neonatal nursing deem conflicting amongst families and the healthcare team since it is unknown if an infant born severely premature, between 22-24 weeks in gestation at 450g, if survival is imminent. Many advancements in treatment, technology, and healthcare perceive feasible, but when a premature infant’s life is compromised, due to severe prematurity, finding the best possible solutions and treatment options may put the healthcare team, caring for the infant, in a conflicting situation. Survival rates amongst premature newborns and severely ill infants have skyrocketed due to the increased advancement and development in nursing, medicine, and treatment plans. Finding the best possible solutions

Nurses working within the neonatal unit require a particular set of skills to adequately fulfil their roles and responsibilities within this fragile setting. The role of a neonatal nurse is to provide intensive nursing care to an infant who has inherited complications at birth due to varied reasons (Tubs-Colley, Pickler, Younger, & Mark, 2015). These complications often manifest as undeveloped internal organs that make simple bodily functions such as breathing and regulating body temperature incredibly difficult. The neonatal nurse provides close monitoring and extremely individualized care per patient to stabilise and further develop these body systems artificially post-uterine (Drozdowicz & Dillard, 2014).