Reproductive nurses are also known as fertility nurses. Consult the patients and couples and treat and concern them in areas of fertility conception and more. The nurse makes the patient aware of various issues like conception issues, fertility treatment, and matching eggs with donors’ families. They also help the patient to deal with menopause by giving them knowledge about the symptoms and getting treated if the patient wants to be treated. But how to become a fertility nurse?
Quick Takeaways
- The fertility nurse manages the fertility treatment of the patient and couples that wish to become a parent but may be having issues with it.
- To become a fertility nurse you need to complete your education and take the NCLEX-RN exam.
- After completing the exam all you need to have is to start getting related experience in the field by helping the patient’s labor pain.
However, you must read till the end so that you could understand how can you become a fertility nurse.
What does a fertility nurse do?
There are many couples that are not able to have their own kids and thus think of becoming foster parents. The fertility nurse manages the fertility treatment of the patient and couples that wish to become a parent but may be having issues with it. The main responsibility of the nurse is to efficiently assist the women during each step of the treatment process. The fertility nurses play main two roles serving as an assistant to the physician and guiding the patient during the treatment. A nurse can also help in the condition of finding egg donors for the patient if needed.
Where do fertility nurses work?
- Hospitals
- Egg donation centers
- Reproductive clinics
- Counseling program
- Gynecological practice
Most common types of fertility doctors:
- Reproductive endocrinologists
- Andrologists
- Reproductive immunologists
- Reproductive surgeons
How to become a fertility nurse?
Step 1:
Firstly the person should complete the 2-year associate degree(ASN) and in addition, may have the 4 years of bachelor’s degree (BSN). From a certified college or university. The priority is given to BSN as compared to ASN.
Step 2:
After the degree, the candidate must pass the NCLEX-RN (National council licensure examination for registered nurses). With a passing score on the exam, you can apply for state licensure as a registered nurse(RN).
Step 3:
The nurses who aim to become fertility nurses will start gaining experience by dealing with the patient’s labor delivery and working in a postpartum unit is a unit where every mother is been transferred after the delivery and the recovery unit (LDR) where the mothers have to stay until there discharge period for one and 4 dates later.
Step 4:
No need for specific certification for becoming a fertility nurse. But to get working experience in nursing certification like inpatient obstetric nursing (RNC-OB), maternal newborn nursing(RNC-MNN), or neonatal obstetric nursing(RNC-NIC) can be done.
What you should do before becoming a fertility nurse?
Below are things to be considered before pursuing a fertility nurse as your career.
- If you can handle the stress and the critical condition during the treatment.
- The fertility nurse should be ambitious toward the goal and try their best.
- Always willing to learn new things and gain knowledge, also adapting the knowledge.
The role and duties of a fertility nurse:
The various role of a fertility nurse are as follows:
- The fertility nurse treats patients with the problem of infertility. On the other hand, if you love kids you can try to become a midwife.
- Female patients having the problem of menopause are also assisted by the fertility nurse
- Helps in counseling the patients and loved ones for making them aware of fertility.
- If interest in the latest reproductive technologies can work with the researcher on it.
- Counseling the couple and donors throughout the entire process of fertility makes them understand the details step by step.
- Help the patient to know how the procedure runs and all the terminology related to fertility.
Main Types of fertility treatment:
- In vitro fertilization(IVF)
- Natural cycle (IVF)
- Donor eggs
- Surrogacy
- Egg freezing
- Artificial insemination(AI) and intrauterine insemination(IUI)
- Fertility drugs
What is the fertility nurse’s salary?
According to (BLS) U.S bureau of labor statistic, the salary earned by the fertility nurse is as follows:
| Average salary annually | $77600 |
| Average salary per hour | $37.31 |
Fertility nurse salary based on the experience
- Having experience of less than one year earns an average hourly wage of $26.53/hr.
- 1-4 years of experience earns an average hourly wage of $34.62/hr.
- 5-9 years of experience earns an average hourly wage of $34.97/hr.
How to earn more money as a fertile nurse:
- If the nurse does the work for mid shifts, night shifts, or on weekends also that will make them earn more money.
- Registered nurses or certified nurses help to earn more as compared to non-certified nurses. The employers offer more to employees having a certified nurse.
- By having advanced in education with a master of nursing (MSN).
- When the nurses work in higher-cost living cities. But during this work experience, the pay on housing and expenses will be more as well
Conclusion:
With the profession of fertility nurse, there comes great responsibility. but it is an emotional period after treating the patients, and coupled with the fertility process finally telling a patient CONGRATS, you are pregnant is so fulfilling. That makes the nurse feel relaxed as it works as a reward for the job. The advance in academics will help the fertility nurse to get more paid and will be preferred more as compared to having an associate degree.