Having a strong love for babies is just one of the vital qualities required to embarking on any neonatal career. If you're envisioning a career working in a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, there are many skills and qualities you should develop, such as the ones below.
More Education
If you've not started on your nursing education journey or don't have a practical nursing license, you must be aware that NICU nurses need to be well-educated on situations and health conditions that are commonly seen in those units. That typically means you're required to become a registered nurse (RN), but that's not all; you should seek a certificate in neonatal nursing. You might also want to consider graduate-level courses and degrees to give you the knowledge to handle NICU cases.
Quick Thinking
If you're someone who needs to deliberate and examine multiple possibilities before taking action or making decisions, the NICU could provide a hefty challenge for you. Quick thinking is needed every day on the NICU floor; newborn babies need help immediately in some cases, so you need to be confident about your ability to handle the unexpected. To get better at this, you could shadow a current NICU nurse during school or read and evaluate case studies on a regular basis. Being able to think fast and in the moment will help you.
Lack of Judgment
In the NICU, you will sometimes be dealing with newborns who have conditions based on the mother's choices and actions while pregnant. For example, you may encounter drug withdrawals in a newborn with an addict mother. It could be easy to be judgmental about the baby's mother and family, but you need to be able to put that to the side not only to help the infant, but to encourage the mother and family to interact with the baby in a healthy way and encourage them to change their lives.
Self-Care Attention
It's not enough to care for babies in the NICU; self-care is a necessary skill for any NICU nurse. You may see and experience things in the NICU that are upsetting, and your ability to cope with a myriad of feelings is essential. Whether you seek therapy, have a spiritual practice, or find another way to handle the stress of such a work environment, putting that system in place now is invaluable to your neonatal nursing career.
Teachers, nurses, and others with neonatal careers can clue you in to additional qualities you need for life in the NICU. Take your time before deciding that NICU nursing is the right decision for you. For more information on neonatal careers, talk with companies and hospitals that provide career opportunities, such as Kidz Medical Services.
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