Salary for Skill: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Job Outlook of a Neonatal Nurse

Modern-day fertility treatments have made the dream of parenthood come true for thousands of people. Each year, more advancements are made in this field, and as fertility treatments become safer and more available they are also becoming more common. However, with the advent of fertility medicine has come a sharp rise in multiple and premature births, sending more newborns to the NICU. All nurses count patient care among their most important responsibilities, but an ill or premature newborn needs round-the-clock monitoring and care. In addition to the high-pressure environment of the NICU, neonatal nurses also are tasked with helping the families of the babies in their care understand what is happening. Taking responsibility for these tiniest of lives requires an immense amount of diligence and strength. Before setting out on such a daunting career path, many potential neonatal nurses want to know: What is the job outlook of a neonatal nurse? And what is a typical neonatal nurse salary like?

The rise in newborns needing extra neonatal care has resulted in a corresponding upswing in the job outlook of a neonatal nurse. In the last 20 years the number of hospitals with NICUs has grown along with the demand for their services. As with most nursing positions, demand is expected to continue to increase in the years to come. The job outlook for a neonatal nurse is bright - there is a very good chance that neonatal nurses will continue to be in demand.

Neonatal Nurse Salary

A neonatal nurse salary is affected first and foremost by the kind of nurse involved. The median Neonatal Nurse Salary by Job Title chart shows that nurse managers and nurse practitioners earn a much higher neonatal nurse salary than many other positions. Indeed, a large percentage of a NICU's staff will be neonatal nurse practitioners. For a neonatal nurse, yearly salary is also tied to years of experience. Researching a Neonatal Nurse Salary by Years of Experience, we can see that for a neonatal nurse, salary increases by over $20,000 over 20 years of experience. Many smaller or more rural hospitals may not have a NICU, which may be why comparing Neonatal Nurse Salary by Number of Hospital Beds tends to show higher salaries for larger hospitals. Looking for a city with high neonatal nurse salaries? Check the median Neonatal Nurse Salary by City report to see which cities offer the highest salaries.

Average Neonatal Nurse Yearly Salary

Dr. Salary doesn't make house calls, but he can give your salary some intensive care! Learn the difference between asking, "what is the median neonatal nurse salary" and, "what is the average neonatal nurse yearly salary" in the Ask Dr. Salary article, "Why is Median Better than Mean for a Typical Salary?"