Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Scope of Practice
Overview
The Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) is a Registered Nurse prepared at the master’s degree level as a nurse practitioner whose focus is the care and management of critically ill and convalescent premature and full-term infants. The NNP works collaboratively with a neonatologist and other members of the health care team to provide comprehensive care to ill premature and full-term infants and their families. NNPs work in a variety of acute and non-acute settings, delivering care and management of infants in areas such as neuromuscular problems, fluid and nutritional requirements, drug addiction, respiratory distress, cardiac defects, metabolic conditions and renal problems.
Credentials and Certification
You will be eligible to sit for examination for the applicable certification, and eligible for prescriptive authority in all 50 states, with restrictions as specified by each state. Visit Credentialing and Certification for specific information.
Functions Performed by the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
In addition to general functions performed by the Advanced Practice Nurse, the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner may also provide these functions:
- Obtain health histories and perform comprehensive physical and gestational age assessments
- Collaborate with the Neonatologist regarding plan of care
- Provide staff education
- Stabilize and transport ill infants to Level III nurseries via both ground and air transport
- Assist with obtaining operative/procedure consents
- Write orders
- Incorporate developmental care in patient care giving
- Promote family centered care and healthy infant-parent attachment
- Participate in patient rounds
- Collaborate with physicians from other disciplines
- Attend morbidity and mortality rounds and medical conferences within the institution
- Perform procedures necessary to aid in identifying a diagnosis
- Care for a case load of patients
