Neonatal Nurse Salary Range

Nurses that have closely worked in the nursing jobs related to children and infants, will surely enjoy working as neonatal nurses. Many nurses or students who wish to work as neonatal nurses are usually curious to know the earning prospects in this profession. Well, the neonatal salary range is dependent on various important factors. The neonatal nurse salary range is very much dependent on the kind of nurse involved in the work. Generally, nurse practitioners earn the highest neonatal salary range, followed by nurse managers. The neonatal nurse salary range has been found to increase by nearly USD 20,000 for over 20 years of work experience. Location is also an important parameter that determines the neonatal salary range. Many hospitals and health care units situated in rural areas don't have the facilities of neonatal nurse intensive care units, so on a general note, the neonatal nurse salary range in those cases is decided by the number of hospital beds. In the table given below, you can read the salary breakup for neonatal nurses depending on the work experience.

Work Experience	Annual Salary Range*
As Freshers (less than 1 year)	Nearly 50,000
1 to 4 years	55,000
5 to 9 years	60,000
10 to 19 years	68,000
Above 20 years	72,000

^{* -Approximately in USD}

Job Description
Neonatal nurses are the professionals who look after the newly born infants. We all are aware of natal intensive care units, where newly born infants are treated and kept, in case they are unwell. The term neonatal refers to the first 28 days of the life of a child. Neonatal nursing is a new specialty branch of nursing that is becoming immensely popular and significant in maintaining the health of the newly born. Neonatal nursing is closely related to the midwifery and similar nursing medical jobs. The first few weeks of the child's birth are extremely crucial and so it makes sense to employ some specialists for monitoring the growth and health of the child.

The job of neonatal nurses is divided in three levels.

1. In the first level of the working, nurses look after the newly born infants that are healthy and usually don't require much attention. This level rarely exists in hospitals nowadays, as the healthy child and mother don't stay in the hospital for a long time.
2. In the second level, nurses look after babies and infants who are born prematurely or may be suffering from an illness. The child may need oxygen or intravenous therapy due to poor health.
3. Under the level 3 nursing, babies and infants suffering from major health problems are treated. Neonatal nurses may be expected to treat the child using special equipment like ventilators, incubators or surgery related instruments. Infants battling with severe diseases are generally kept in the grade 3 level baby nurseries.

To become a neonatal nurse, one should necessarily have a bachelor's degree in nursing, along with minimum one year work experience in some neonatal intensive care units. Educational and work experience requirements may vary depending on the specific needs of the healthcare units.

The rise in the number of newborns needing extra neonatal care has grown rapidly in the last 10 years and so the demand for neonatal nurses in hospitals has also increased. Choosing a career as a neonatal nurse offers a unique career development path for nurses, as nurses can move on to become nurse managers and handle larger roles in the hospital care units. Similarly, the neonatal salary range will also increase with work experience. Added to these benefits, is the pleasure of helping mothers and newly born infants with care and love. So, If you have a dream to be a nurse, you can surely make a good career in this particular nursing branch. All the best!!