Become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

What you'll do: Neonatal nurse specialists focus on the care of newborn infants. They may care for healthy infants, provide focused care for premature or ill newborns, or work exclusively with seriously ill newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Minimum degree you'll need to practice: You must be a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).

Certification: You must become certified by your State Board of Nursing or receive a national certification from an agency such as the National Certification Corporation.

Average annual salary: $80,414

Cities where jobs are often found: Tampa, Cleveland, Shreveport, Dallas and Philadelphia

Entry-level requirements vary by location. At a minimum, you need to meet these requirements:

• A neonatal nurse must be a registered nurse (RN) with a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree (BSN).
• You must be certified in Neonatal Resuscitation and/or Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing.
• You may also be required to complete a minimum number of years of clinical experience in a hospital setting.
• To become a neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP), you will also need a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Many neonatal nursing schools offer this degree through a two-year Advanced Practice Neonatal Nursing (APNN) program. This type of program will prepare you for nursing licensure as a nurse practitioner (NP) and/or clinical nurse specialist (CNS).

As with all nursing careers, the demand for neonatal nurses and neonatal nurse practitioners is expected to increase significantly over the next ten years (see information about the current nursing shortage). In general, the more training, certifications and experience a nurse has, the more demand there will be for his or her skill set.
_{Sources:
National Association of Neonatal Nurses, 2009
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010
Indeed.com, 2011}