Degree Options
Master of Science in Nursing
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
The neonatal nurse practitioner major is a 42-credit-hour, 600-clinical-hour program preparing students for the advanced practice of nursing in hospital neonatal intensive care units, or NICUs. The curriculum emphasizes collaborative practice, critical thinking, clinical decision-making, and the research process. Students will meet with an academic advisor to plan a program of study that best meets their needs. The program, designed for either full- or part-time study.
What is a neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP)?
NNPs care for newborns with a variety of conditions requiring individual treatment in NICUs. Most NICUs are designated as Level II or Level III units, depending on the level of care needed by the infants who are treated in them.
In general, NNPs attend to newborns who need a broad spectrum of health care. Prematurity, sepsis, respiratory distress, and disorders or abnormalities requiring surgery are a few of the common diagnoses found among infants in NICUs. The children of at-risk parents, for example, are often born prematurely and suffer from low-birth weights. Some infants are born with major congenital heart defects or defects in other organs. Others may suffer from chronic lung disease, needing ventilator assistance and supplementary oxygen.
Potential employment opportunities for neonatal nurse practitioner graduates:
In Indiana and across the nation, the neonatal population in need of care has increased. Many NICUs are understaffed while others are expanding, thus leading to a greater demand for nurses trained in this specialty area. NNPs may care for newborns in these settings:
- Level II and Level III NICUs
- Developmental pediatric clinics
- Specialty practice
- Clinical research
- Medically underserved areas
- Newborn follow-up clinics
Curriculum
Review the list of School of Nursing course descriptions.
| Core courses (9 credits) | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| N502 | Nursing Theory I | 3 |
| N504 | Leadership for Advanced Practice Nursing | 3 |
| R500 | Nursing Research | 3 |
| Clinical core courses (11 credits) | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| G513 | Physiology of Maternal/Child | 2 |
| G514 | Developmental Physiology/Embryology | 2 |
| Y612 | Pharmacology for Nurse Practitioners | 3 |
| Y515 | Pathophysiology | 4 |
| Specialty courses (16 credits) | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| T550 | Advanced Neonatal Assessment | 4 |
| T555 | Clinical Perinatology | 6 |
| T556 | Management of Acutely ill Neonate | 6 |
Nursing Study (3-6 credits)
| R590 | Nursing Study | 3 |
| OR | ||
| R699 | Master's Thesis in Nursing | 3-6 |
For specific questions about this major, please contact:
Evelyn Stephenson, MSN, RNC
estephe [at] iupui [dot] edu
(317) 274-4182
