Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

Our program focuses on the family as well as the infant through their first year of life, and prepares you for leadership in a variety of settings, like intensive care nurseries, well baby nurseries, home care, and high-risk follow-up programs.

About the Program

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is routinely ranked in the top five graduate schools of nursing according to U.S. News & World Report. We are geographically located near the University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine) as well as the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). We offer small cohorts with low faculty-to-student ratios, personalized attention, and the opportunity to learn from world renown experts in the field. Our extensive network of colleagues and alumni allow us to help place graduates before or soon-after graduation in the geographic area of their choice. 

The Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) prepared at the master’s degree level. The NNP is prepared to practice across a continuum, providing primary, acute, chronic, and critical care to infants and toddlers through age two. NNPs primarily work in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) settings, selecting and performing clinically indicated advanced diagnostic and therapeutic invasive procedures. The National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NANNP) is the national association that represents neonatal nurse practitioners in the United States. Certification is governed by the National Certification Corporation (NCC) for Obstetrics, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing Specialties.

All of Penn Nursing’s programs are accredited. To learn more about the accreditation and pass rates, please visit our Accreditation page.

Program Information

Full-Time

Program Length

2 years

Financial aid available?

Yes

Start Semester

Fall

Learning Format

In-person *

Although this program is in-person, to accommodate the busy schedules of our students some courses will be offered in an online or hybrid format. All clinical experiences for this program are in-person on Penn’s campus or at affiliated clinical sites.
Part-Time 2 years

Program Length

2 years

Financial aid available?

Yes

Start Semester

Year-round

Learning Format

In-person *

Although this program is in-person, to accommodate the busy schedules of our students some courses will be offered in an online or hybrid format. All clinical experiences for this program are in-person on Penn’s campus or at affiliated clinical sites.
Part-Time 3 years

Program Length

3 years

Financial aid available?

Yes

Start Semester

Year-round

Learning Format

In-person *

Although this program is in-person, to accommodate the busy schedules of our students some courses will be offered in an online or hybrid format. All clinical experiences for this program are in-person on Penn’s campus or at affiliated clinical sites.

Program Details

Curriculum

We offer the program full-time, part-time, or as a post-graduate APRN certificate. Our world renowned Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program focuses on building future leaders in the field through clinical practice, hands-on education, extensive simulation, and robust research opportunities. Our curriculum can be found on the plans of study and include research, the infant with special healthcare needs and family, embryology, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and management of the neonate. In addition, the NNP faculty find both clinical sites and preceptors at myriad level III and IV NICUs for our students. Our classes are held on campus at the University of Pennsylvania, allowing our students to take advantage of all Penn has to offer.

Click the link below to view the curriculum and different plans of study for this program in the University catalog.

View curriculum and plans of study

Requirements

Minimum qualifications for the program

BSN degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher

Prerequisites

College level statistics course

Licensure

RN

Experience

A minimum of two years full-time RN experience (post-orientation) in a level III-IV NICU within the last 3-5 years. Delivery room experience is encouraged but not required.

Application Deadlines

Full-time Enrollment

Summer & Fall 2024 Start Deadline: February 1, 2024

Latest Decision Notification: early-March

Part-time Enrollment

Spring 2024 Start Deadline: February 1, 2024

Summer & Fall 2024 Start Deadline: March 15, 2024

Latest Decision Notification: late-April

*Dates subject to change without notice.

Costs & Tuition

Your program costs will depend on how many course units (CU) you take per semester.

Discount available for employees of our Academic Practice Partners. Click here to learn more.

Program Outcomes

Our graduates typically work within:

  • Neonatal Intensive Care Nurseries
  • Well Baby Nurseries
  • High Risk Follow Up
  • Teaching in undergraduate and graduate programs

At the completion of this advanced level of nursing education, Penn Nursing MSN graduates will:

  • Use scientific inquiry to translate evidence into practice and promote clinical scholarship
  • Perform advanced nursing skills for specialty and subspecialty nursing practice
  • Lead quality improvement and manage care delivery models across settings
  • Leverage strong networks to advance in professional role

Certification

After graduation, you’ll be prepared to sit for national certification from the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). Upon successful completion of the exam, you are eligible to become certified or licensed to practice.

Events

 

March 27 | 7:00pm

Spring 2024 Graduate Programs Info Session

 

April 10 | 6:00pm

Spring 2024 Graduate Programs Info Session

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