1) What is the difference between a Neonatal Nurse and a Neonatal Practitioner?
2) If I complete my BSN in four years and take the NCLEX exam to be a RN, can I work while doing my MSN or will it be too stressful?….. Also, if I can do my MSN while working will I be getting experience so when I am finished I can be a NNP?
3) How much experience do I need before I can be a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner?
-Camesha
This question was asked in the nursing forum section.
Here’s a video overview of neonatal nursing:
Sarah says
May 10, 2014 at 7:58 amHi Camesha! Welcome to the site! These are some terrific questions that I’m sure many people have who want to become a neonatal nurse and then a neonatal nurse practitioner. Here are my answers and I’m sure some other people can offer some more information as well.
1.) A neonatal nurse is a registered nurse who has completed a nursing program and has passed the NCLEX-RN exam. The neonatal nurse works in a NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). It is like an ICU for babies instead of adults. As a neonatal nurse you work until the authority of physicians and neonatal nurse practitioners.
The neonatal nurse stays at the side of their assigned baby, constantly monitoring vital signs, implementing and managing treatments ordered by the doctor or NP. Normally as a neonatal nurse you will have 1 to 2 patients under your care that you are responsible for that day. Some of the things you can expect to do as a neonatal nurse include: surgical care, administering high-risk mediations, resuscitation, administering antibiotics, phototherapy, managing patients that require ventilation support, providing advanced interventions, and providing chronic care management.
A neonatal nurse practitioner works under a physician. The NNP is an advanced practicing registered nurse who has obtained a MSN (masters degree in nursing), passed the nurse practitioner exam, and has went on for training in neonatal care. Some schools offer an Advanced Practice Nursing degree in two years through an Advanced Practice Neonatal Nursing (APNN) program.
As a NNP you will be ordering labs & medications, diagnosing conditions, performing some invasive procedures, evaluating & changing medical treatments (phototherapy and ventilator care) etc all under the supervision of a doctor.
Here are some great articles on NNP & neonatal nurse:
https://www.registerednursern.com/neonatal-nurse-practitioner-what-is-a-neonatal-nurse-practitioner/
https://www.registerednursern.com/neonatal-nurse-what-is-a-neonatal-nurse/
2.) Absolutely, you can work as a registered nurse while getting your MSN. First, you will need to get a job in the NICU as a RN because this will help give you experience when you want to become a NNP. Working and going to school at the same time may be a little stressful at times because the MSN program does take a lot of time and dedication but I work with many people who have done this and now they work as NPs. However, you may have to cut back to part-time or PRN status while doing it. Also, many universities now have online MSN programs which I would try to look into this if you can.
3.) I would suggest at least 2-3 years of nursing experience as a NICU nurse before you get your NNP. There is no set requirement but after 2-3 years you should feel comfortable as nurse.
Good luck Camesha and I hope I helped you out 🙂
Sarah
Tiff says
May 10, 2014 at 9:03 amI have a comment regarding going to school for NP and working as a RN. I did it and I suggest you work as little as possible because it requires a lot of time and working 12 hours shifts are exhausting. Also, I agree with Sarah that you should work about 2-3 years before you get your NP. Too many new nurses who go straight to NP school after nursing school and are very overwhelmed in NP school because they are lacking the experience.
If you work in the NICU (which I highly suggest since you want to be NNP)…it will give you the knowledge and experience but you should do it for a minimum of 2-3 years. Plus this will give you time to work and make money to help pay for your NNP.