Do you need a masters degree to be a neonatal nurse or just a bachelors?

[Nicoollleeee]

Hello everyone I am a student right now who is considering being a neonatal nurse. Although I don't know if you need a masters degree or just a bachelors, I do know that if you want to be a NNP it does require masters but what about for a neonatal nurse? Also what is the difference between NICU and just neonatal are they both the same or separate things?

[KKEGS, MSN, RN]

You can be a NICU nurse with just an associates as well. You just need to be an RN. I believe a lot of hospitals prefer and are really moving towards requiring at least a BSN, especially if they want to be a Magnet status hospital.

NNPs are also moving towards doctorates and many nursing schools are eliminating their Masters programs altogether.

I believe neonatal and NICU are talking about the same thing. Newborn nursery or Mother Baby means the healthy babies that stay with their moms after delivery. Neonatal or NICU babies are the ones on the special unit. You may also see Special Care Nurseries. Those are typically under the umbrella of NICU but are usually caring for babies with "easier" issues like chorioamnionitis for which they just need a couple of days of antibiotics versus the premature or very sick babies.

Hope that helps!

[Nicoollleeee]

Thanks for the information it did help! Do neonatal nurses also get to be alongside deliveries as well? Or help inform the mothers on baby care? Or monitor their hearts, bathe the newborns, bottle feed them? Sorry it's alot of questions I'm just trying to get a better understanding of what neonatal nurses do besides work with sick babies.

[KKEGS, MSN, RN]

At my hospital we have a transport nurse and transport NNP that do go along to deliveries. That requires 2 years of NICU experience, manager approval and training.

NICU nurses absolutely are involved in teaching baby care! These moms are learning from you how to take care of their babies instead of the postpartum nurses! I teach moms and dads how to change a diaper keeping in mind that that baby might weigh less than a pound, give a bath (both in an isolette or in a tub when they get bigger and stronger), do skin to skin holding or meaningful touch in the isolette if they are too small or too sick to be held, dress their babies, breastfeed and bottle feed them. If a baby is going home with something like a trach or a feeding tube you teach the parents how to clean a trach or G-tube site, change a trach, suction a trach, etc. There is constant education going on in a place like the NICU.

[Nurselily101]

At my nicu it's a level 2. We go to at risk deliveries and we attend c sections after orientation.