Neonatal Nurse

by Kristen
(Tennessee)

Your Question:
I am a freshman in high school and I am writing a research paper and i need some questions answered. I want to be a Neonatal Nurse and i need these questions answered asap. Please!

1)Which scholarships are best to apply for?

2)What extracurricular activities should i be involved in while in high school?

3)What should my major and minor in college be?

4)Will i need to take any special classes in college?

5) What is a typical day like for a Neonatal Nurse?

please help!

My Answer:

Kristen I hope this answer isn't too late for you. If it is, I hope I can help someone else!

Becoming a neonatal nurse is a noble career choice. You will be taking care of babies that weigh two pounds. Their blood pressure cuffs look like bandaids, and their tube feeding lines are the size of fishing wire. It scares me, but I am so glad there are people like you out there that want to do it!




Nursing scholarships are actually pretty easy to find. Search major scholarship search sites, such as Fastweb.com for nursing scholarships and you will find TONS. Nurses are in need and therefore there are thousands of organizations offering money to pursue this career. While you may find some specifically for neonatal nursing, there is a better chance of looking up general registered nurse scholarships. In addition to scholarships, many US states offer nursing loan payback programs, where if you work for a few years in that stay, they will forgive some or all of certain student loans. A schools financial aid office can give you details about these type of programs in your area.

While you are in college, you should enjoy your time there. This is strange advice I know, but do the extracurricular activities you are interested in. I did a lot in college, but nothing that coincided with nursing. It didn't matter. Showing potential employers that I had leadership potential and enjoyed being involved in something (anything) I believe helped me. As a sidenote though, volunteer work (say in a hospital) ALWAYS looks good and lets you feel good about yourself.

While you are in college you will major in nursing. At a four year college you will go for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and at a community college you will be majoring in as Associate Degree in Nursing. See our nurse education page for more information. There is no need to minor in anything else in college if nothing else interest you. When you graduate as a Registered Nurse you then apply to a neonatal unit and those employers will give you any special training you will need for the job.

For information on a typical neonatal nurse day, see our baby nurse page,

Good Luck. Hope this helps you on your paper!
Shannon