When Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, the son of President John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy, died two days after birth in August 1963, pediatricians around the country decided that medical science had to do more to save premature babies.

From this tragedy, the field of neonatology and the career of neonatal nursing were born, according to Jo Crosby, patient care manager in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. Neonatal nurses provide preventive and acute care for newborns and work closely with families. They must have an associate's or bachelor's degree, and a background in working with newborns, in mother-baby care or in pediatric critical care, according to Crosby.

Types of training

The orientation program at Children's is designed to prepare nurses with all levels of experience to care for critically ill newborns, Crosby said. Children's works with colleges in the Twin Cities and around Minnesota to create clinical practicums for students to work in the neonatal unit before they graduate. "A number to them are so excited and enthusiastic that they want to come on board with us," Crosby said.

Children's has a highly sought-after paid summer internship program for nursing students between their junior and senior years. The hospitals also offer a highly competitive residency program to help new graduates transition from school to work.

"It's not easy to find nurses with neonatal experience," Crosby added. "We do find people who have other types of nursing experience or life experience, and can build upon the knowledge and skills they've already developed. We often see people get into the area and love it, and it becomes their lifelong career choice."

A bright future

Crosby described the job outlook for neonatal nurses as "very, very bright." Salaries for neonatal nurses with associate's degrees range from $26.37 to $40.79 an hour, while those with bachelor's degrees can expect to earn from $27.30 to $42.22 per hour. Evening and weekend shifts pay a differential of $1 to $4 an hour.

"Most people find their rewards are in the relationships they build with the families. Neonatal nurses take a lot of pride in the fact that we do make a difference in the outcome of a child or in creating a peaceful passing if they're not going to survive this experience," Crosby said. "Our roles as neonatal nurses are about making that experience as positive as it can be for the family."

Nancy Crotti is a freelance writer who lives in St. Paul.