Running head: NEONATAL UNIT

Culture within the Neonatal Unit

Jessica Parrish
University of Kentucky

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Planning Tools
General Purpose: I want to inform my audience
Specific Purpose: I want my audience to understand the culture within the neonatal unit.
Thesis: Culture within the neonatal unit relies heavily on communication, core values, and how
those emphasized the collectivist culture.
Culture within the Neonatal Unit
Introduction
I. Attention Catcher: Imagine you are a newborn lying in the neonatal unit bundled in a blanket
and a warm hat. All around you are busy nurses: walking from one room to another, checking on
each individual baby, and talking with new parents. All of a sudden, many of the nurses, along
with doctors, run into one room together. Something terribly wrong has happened with that
newborn. Everything seems chaotic with much of the neonatal unit rushing everywhere.
However, those nurses and doctors have to work together to save that baby.
II. Listener Relevance Link: All of us in here will be out of college in just a few years. We will
learn about our new careers culture and how they communicate in their culture. However, it
never hurts to research beforehand. If anyone in here would like to be a nurse, specifically a
neonatal nurse, I have completed some research for you.
III. Statement of Speaker Credibility: My senior year of high school, my anatomy teacher would
talk about her second job as a neonatal nurse. She would share stories about what she did and
what had happened to some of the infants. I then became interested in learning more about
neonatology. My teachers anecdotes, along with research and interviewing a neonatal nurse, I
have learned a lot about the culture in the neonatal unit. Today I want to share with you the
culture of the neonatal unit.
IV. Thesis Statement: Culture within the neonatal unit greatly relies on communication, core
values, and how those emphasize the collectivist culture.
V. Preview of Main Points: Today I will talk about how the neonatal units culture is heavily
based on ethical communication, what specific core values the neonatal unit has, and how the
unit is a collectivist culture who values teamwork.
Transition: Communication is important within every career but especially important when the
career is a neonatal nurse or doctor.
Body
I. The neonatal units culture is heavily based on ethical communication.
A. During an emergency, which is very common in the neonatal intensive care unit
(NICU), it is vital to talk with the infants parents and family. The number one thing is
you have to be open and you have to be honest and you have to say it like it is, (Becky
Bertram, personal communication, October 3, 2014). Being truthful is crucial while
talking with the family so you dont deceive them.

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B. Being respectful to the patients and their family is important. Many families will be
value different things and have different morals. Neonatal nurses must respect them while
communicating with them to ensure the best care for the child.
Transition : Now that we have discussed how ethical communication is used in the neonatal
unit, we will learn about the core values neonatal nurses have.
II. The neonatal unit abides by specific core values.
A. When asked what specific values it takes to be a neonatal nurse, Bertram replied, In
nursing school we have a code of ethics. Its to do no harm and its to do everything
you can to nurture your patient along the way, (personal communication, October 3,
2014).
B. When I looked up what specific values a neonatal nurse has, I stumbled upon the
Association of Womens Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses website. On the site
the association explained their core values in a simple acronym : CARING. CARING
stands for commitment, accountability for contributions, respect, integrity, nursing
excellence for quality outcomes, and generation of knowledge to improve
(AWHONN, 2014).
Transition: Finally, the last point I would like to talk about is how the neonatal unit is a
collectivist culture.
III. The neonatal unit is a collectivist culture who values harmony and cooperation.
A. The neonatal unit is a huge team from many different disciplines. We have with one
patient, not only the nurses, but in many cases occupational therapists, physical
therapists, speech therapists, nutritionists, [] [and] social workers, [] Bertram
said and continued to describe many more members of the team (personal
communication, October 3, 2014).
B. Bertram put much emphasis on how important everyone in the unit is. For example, at
the UK Healthcare Center, there are 14 neonatal doctors with different specialties
(Neonatology: NICU, 2014). There are, of course, an incredible amount of nurses
involved too.
Conclusion
I. Thesis Restatement: The culture of the neonatal unit is very interesting and based highly on
connections with families, ethics, and teamwork.
II. Main Point Summary: Today we have examined how the neonatal units culture is heavily
based on ethical communication, what specific core values the neonatal unit has, and how the
unit is a collectivist culture.
III. Clincher: Next time you go to the hospital, or if you have your own child, take time to
respect the nurses. They work very hard to do everything they can to take care of you, your
family, and everyone else.

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4
References

Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). (n.d.). Association
of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). Retrieved September 22,
2014, from https://www.awhonn.org/awhonn/content.do?
name=10_AboutUs/10A_MissionVisionValues.htm
Neonatology (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or NICU). (n.d.). Neonatology: NICU. Retrieved
September 22, 2014, from http://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/neonatology/