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Neonatal Nurse Courses

Neonatal Nurses are specialist nurses who care for premature babies and infants with medical conditions in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), as well as healthy newborns in the first month of their life. They administer medications, undertake specialist feedings, advise parents, and carry out a range of diagnostic and screening tests.

As a Neonatal Nurse you could be checking the incubator and other NICU specialist equipment, feeding a premature baby with a tube, advising a new mother on the health status of her newborn baby, helping a new mother with feeding and changing, inserting an IV line for fluid intake, informing the doctor of a change to a baby’s core vitals, or updating patient records.

Neonatal nursing is a very joyful and rewarding occupation, but it can also be very stressful. Apart from meticulous technical nursing skills, to succeed you’ll need a natural affinity for infants and newborn babies and the ability to make clear decisions in an emergency.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Neonatal Nurses earn?

The average salary for registered nurses in Australia, (including Neonatal Nurses) is $1,937 per week ($100,724 per annum). Increase your earning capacity by undertaking post-graduate qualifications in midwifery, neonatal care, and critical care nursing.

What are the job opportunities for Neonatal Nurses?

There are 325,500 Registered Nurses (RNs) currently employed in Australia, some of these are Neonatal Nurses. They are employed by hospitals in the nursery wards and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

How do I become a Neonatal Nurse?

You can launch your career as a Neonatal Nurse with a Bachelor of Nursing, and then registering with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Once you are a qualified Registered Nurse (RN) you will need post-graduate qualifications such as a Graduate Certificate in Neonatal Care or the Graduate Certificate in Neonatal Intensive Care. It is also helpful to obtain a Graduate Diploma in Intensive Care Nursing and Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing.

Source: Australian Government Labour Market Insights 2023

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Job Pathways

Here are some potential career pathways within nursing. Click on an occupation to learn more about the role and the qualifications that can help you get started in this industry.

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