Program Overview
This program prepares nurses who seek advanced knowledge and skill in caring for critically ill neonates and their families. Our curriculum combines both broad foundational knowledge essential for the care of neonates as a vulnerable population, as well as specialty knowledge in high-risk neonatal care. The curriculum focuses on the management of acute and chronic diseases, including health promotion for pregnancy, follow-up care of newborns, and the concepts of family-centered and developmental care. The program promotes life-long learning through the use of innovative learning techniques and methods. Many of the neonatal courses are available for distance learning.
Graduates are eligible to take the certifying examination offered by National Certification Corporation (NCC) for national certification as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.
Program Format
MSN program- The neonatal practitioner plan of study prepares nurses with advanced knowledge and skills to care for newborns in level III Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Students are required to complete 675 hours of directly supervised clinical practice which includes a 300 hour residency. The 43 hour masters program can be completed in five semesters of full-time study or may be pursued part-time.
Admission Requirements
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. As soon as an application is complete, it will be forwarded on to members of the Graduate Admissions and Progressions Committee and will be reviewed at the next scheduled committee meeting. An admission decision will be made and applicants will be notified promptly.
Applicants must have a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing (or Masters' degree if post-Masters) from a program accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.