Neonatal Transport Nurses: An Analysis of Their Role in the Transport of Newborn Infants

From September 1976 to March 1979, nurses selected from the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) assumed the transport team leadership role for 443 newborns. Each nurse had successfully completed an eight-week didactic and practical educational program in the assessment, management, stabilization, and transport of ill newborns including premature infants, those with various medical and surgical disorders, and those requiring assisted ventilation. Physician supervision and consultation was always available. The overall survival rate for these infants was 81%, a rate similar to that for newborns transported by physicians. The transport nurses consistently demonstrated the ability to effectively assess, manage, stabilize, and transport ill newborns. In addition, their utilization has alleviated a physician shortage on the NICU, has improved the response time to transport requests, and has enhanced educational opportunities for physicians and nurses.