| Name: |
Perinatal
Nurse |
| Description: |
Cares
for women, infants, and their families from the
onset of pregnancy through the first month of the
newborn’s life (perinatal period); monitors
the pregnancy; assesses the progression of labor,
monitors the status of mother and baby, maintains
a sense of calm and comfort during labor, and
supports the family; fosters the new
mother-infant relationship, teaches parenting
skills, and assesses and supports the mother in
her recovery from childbirth; evaluates the
newborn’s early adjustment to life |
| Diagnoses: |
Normal,
high-risk, and complicated pregnancy, labor,
delivery, and recovery; prematurity, low birth
weight, and other neonatal problems; infertility |
| Practice
roles: |
Obstetric,
neonatal, women’s healthcare, or
reproductive endocrinology/infertility nurse,
clinical nurse specialist; women’s
healthcare nurse practitioner, nurse midwife,
nurse case manager, head nurse, supervisor,
coordinator, director, executive, perinatal or
childbirth educator, lactation consultant |
| Characteristics: |
Patient
care and relationships including usually happy
outcomes, autonomy and independence, teaching |
| Client
age group: |
Women
of childbearing age and newborns up to one month |
| Drawbacks: |
Irregular
hours, difficult patient contacts such as patient
grief, excessive workload, constraints of very
short hospital stays |
| Desirable
skills: |
People
skills, positive attitude, flexibility with
duties and schedule, commitment, patience,
tolerance |
| Education: |
RN
with AD, Diploma, or BSN (preferred) |
| Employers: |
Hospitals
including specialty hospitals, health
departments, medical offices, HMOs, clinics,
birthing centers, nurse midwife practices, home
health agencies |
| Certification: |
| American Nurses
Credentialing Center |
| 600 Maryland Ave., SW, #100 |
| Washington, DC 20024-2571 |
| 800-284-CERT |
| |
| National Certification
Corporation for Obstetric, Gynecologic,
and Neonatal Nursing Specialties |
| 645 N. Michigan Ave., #900 |
| Chicago, IL 60611 |
| 800-367-5613 |
| |
| International Board of
Lactation Consultant Examiners, Inc. |
| Box 2348 |
| Falls Church, VA 22042 |
| |
| ACNM Certification Council,
Inc. |
| 8401 Corporate Dr., #470 |
| Landover, MD 20785 |
|
| Associations: |
| ASPO/Lamaze |
| 1200 19th St. NW, #300 |
| Washington, DC 20036 |
| |
| American College of Nurse
Midwives |
| 818 Connecticut Av., NW,
#900 |
| Washington, DC 20006 |
| 202-728-9860 |
| |
| Association of Women’s
Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses |
| 700 14th St., NW, #600 |
| Washington, DC 20005-2019 |
| 202-662-1600 |
| |
| National Association of
Neonatal Nurses |
| 4700 W Lake Avenue |
| Glenview, IL 60025-1485 |
| 800/451-3795 |
| |
| National Association of
Nurse Practitioners in Reproductive
Health |
| 503 Capitol Court, N.E., #300 |
| Washington, DC 20002 |
| 202-543-9693 |
|
| Publications: |
| Journal
of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal
Nurses |
| |
| AWHONN
Newsletter |
| 202-662-1600 |
| |
| Neonatal
Network Journal |
| |
| Central Lines
Newsletter |
| 707-762-5588 |
| |
| Journal of
Nurse Midwifery |
| |
| Quickening
Newsletter |
|
|
