Role transitions for new clinical leaders in perinatal practice.

New clinical leaders are transitioning to their roles in a demanding and short-staffed profession where change is constant and finances are uncertain. For successful role transition in the specialty of perinatal nursing, both new leaders and their mentors must understand the attributes of potential leaders, the role of mentoring, and the need for clearly articulated expectations. This article discusses these processes in the context of the considerable skill set required for leadership in nursing today.

Neonatal jaundice: physiologic variation or pathologic process.

Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and jaundice affect approximately 60% of the 4 million newborns in the United States each year. Jaundice results from bilirubin deposition in the skin and mucous membranes, becoming clinically visible at a serum bilirubin level of 5 to 7 mg/dL. At a higher but undefined level, bilirubin may deposit in the brain where it can cause transient dysfunction or permanent neurologic impairment.