How do I become a neonatal nurse
Get qualified to work as a neonatal nurse with a course recognised across Australia. Speak to a training provider to learn more.
Related career opportunities
Browse occupations related to Neonatal Nurse.
Common questions
The average salary for registered Neonatal Nurses is $1,750 per week ($91,000 per annum). Increase your earning capacity by undertaking post-graduate qualifications in midwifery, neonatal care, and critical care nursing.
Courses.com.au Team
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).
Courses.com.au Team
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
Courses.com.au Team
Further reading
How to start a career in Veterinary Nursing
7th September 2021
Why is Nursing a Good Career Choice in Australia?
25th November 2022Neonatal Nurse careers
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.
