Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP): Career and Certification Guide
With excerpts from Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Certification Intensive Review: Fast Facts and Practice Questions, by Amy R. Koehn, PhD, NNP-BC, Editor
Thinking about the next step in your nursing career? The profession offers a wide range of certifications, but if you are passionate about caring for the most fragile patients—newborns and infants—a career as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) might be the right path for you.
What Is a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner?
A Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) is an advanced practice registered nurse who specializes in caring for high-risk newborns, infants, and toddlers. NNPs use advanced skills in physical and psychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and management.
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Most states require national board certification to practice.
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Of the roughly 205,000 nurse practitioners in the U.S. (2016), about 3% (6,150) were neonatal NPs.
What Does an NNP Do?
NNPs primarily work in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), caring for critically ill or premature infants. They may also support infants and toddlers with complex health conditions.
Typical responsibilities include:
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Managing care for newborns and infants with congenital heart disease, respiratory disorders, infections, anemia, and more
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Assessing patients and making diagnoses
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Ordering and interpreting diagnostic studies
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Prescribing and dosing medications
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Resuscitating, intubating, and stabilizing fragile neonates
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Coordinating care and referring patients to specialists when needed
What Type of Person Excels as an NNP?
Working in a NICU can be emotionally and physically intense. Successful NNPs are:
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Calm under pressure, even during emergencies
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Compassionate and patient, with a deep respect for families and their choices
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Highly skilled, able to manage complex interventions on the smallest patients
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Collaborative, working closely with physicians, nurses, and families
How Do I Become an NNP?
To become an NNP, you’ll need advanced graduate-level education and certification:
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Earn an MSN or DNP degree from an accredited NNP program
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Master’s programs typically take 2–3 years
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DNP programs can take up to 4 years
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Prior NICU experience is often required for admission
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Graduate-level coursework includes neonatal physiology, assessment, diagnosis, and advanced pharmacology.
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Complete clinical training in neonatal and pediatric care settings.
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Pass the national NNP certification exam (administered by the NCC) to become licensed to practice.
Preparing for the NNP Exam
Get exam-ready with:
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Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Certification Intensive Review
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494 pages of in-depth review content
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More than 300 exam-style Q&As with rationales
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A full-length practice exam to assess readiness
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This resource helps you master both foundational knowledge and higher-level clinical reasoning skills required for certification.
Resources
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AANP. Are You Considering a Career as Neonatal Nurse Practitioner? (2020). Read here
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Daily Nurse. Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. (2016). Read here
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NANN. Advanced Practice Registered Nurse: Role, Preparation, and Scope of Practice (2014). PDF
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NANN. Education Standards and Curriculum Guidelines for Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Programs (2014). PDF
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Staebler, S. & Bissinger, R. (2016). Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Workforce Survey. Advances in Neonatal Care, 17(5), 331-336. doi:10.1097/ANC.0000000000000433
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AANP. 2019 National NP Sample Survey: Compensation. Read here
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