The first modern day NICU opened in 1960 at Yale-New Haven Hospital under the auspices of Louis Gluck, a pioneer in the emerging pediatric specialty, neonatology. Dr. Gluck’s NICU concept demonstrated improved outcomes of sick and preterm infants and led to the emergence of NICUs across the country by the late 1960s. Most NICUs were located in large, university settings with patient management provided by medical interns and residentssupervised by a neonatologist. To meet the needs of this vulnerable population, nursing roles expanded to include tasks previously relegated to physicians, such as initiating intravenous access and phlebotomy.