Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program

The Cooperative NNP program was developed with the support of a three-year grant from the U.S. Public Health Service, Division of Nursing awarded in 1998. The program's first student graduation was in 2000. The program is now housed at the UMKC. Students in the Masters of Nursing programs at South Dakota State University (SDSU), University of Iowa and the University of Missouri-Saint Louis (UMSL) can also enroll in the NNP courses through UMKC.

The focus of the Cooperative NNP Program is on health management of the ill neonate and family, but students will also gain knowledge regarding nursing theory, research, cultural diversity, health policy, ethics, and leadership related to the role of the Advanced Practice Nurse. The Master's Core Courses at UMKC may also be taken on the web. In this innovative NNP program, the five didactic neonatal courses are offered over the World Wide Web through Blackboard, a web course platform accessible to students from their homes. UMKC Master's Core Courses are now available on-line in the same manner. Thus, students can complete the 43 credit hour NNP program from their home and obtain the clinical experiences in their local Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with a preceptor that they select upon approval by NNP faculty (View the Preceptorship Guidelines). Graduates of this accredited program are qualified to sit for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Board Exam offered by the National Certification Corporation.

Admission Requirements for NNP Program:

In addition to the admission requirements for UMKC, the requirements for admission into the NNP track of the Masters' Program are:
  • Neonatal Resuscitation Program certification
  • The equivalent of two years full-time recent (within the past five years) RN practice experience in the care of the critically ill newborn infants (a minimum of one year in Level III NICU) is required prior to beginning the clinical courses. See the NANN Education Standards for Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Programs for more information
  • A letter of reference from the neonatal medical or NNP director that addresses the applicant’s potential as a NNP and their ability and willingness to provide clinical experiences and supervision as preceptor for the applicant
  • Must reside in the United States
  • Complete NNP Reference Form

Eight experienced Neonatal Nurse Practitioners serve as the faculty for the neonatal courses. Half are prepared at the doctoral level.

The NNP Program:

The Didactic Neonatal Courses:

  • Advanced Assessment of the Neonate: 3 credit hours
  • Physiology & Pathophysiology of the Neonate: 3 credit hours
  • Advanced Neonatal Pharmacology: 3 credit hours
  • Neonatal Management I: 3 credit hours
  • Neonatal Management II: 3 credit hours
In order to contribute to the science of Neonatology and to prepare for the leadership necessary in the NNP role, students do a variety of assignments, such as,on-line discussions, on-line discussions, case studies and evidence-based practice presentations and give an educational in-service presentation for the NICU staff nurses during the coursework.

NNP students and faculty all meet together in Kansas City twice during the NNP program. The first visit is in March during the first semester of the Neonatal Courses so that we can all meet each other, give presentations, and have a couple lectures together in person over 2 days. The second visit includes a skills and procedure lab to learn skills such as intubation, chest tube placement, umbilical catheter placement. This visit occurs in October, mid-way through the Management courses and is also 2 days in length. Then, of course students can choose to come to Kansas City for the Graduation festivities!

The Neonatal Preceptorship Courses:
  • Preceptorship I: 5 credit hours
  • Preceptorship II: 5 credit hours
The two neonatal preceptorships provide students with a variety of individualized clinical experiences over a minimum of 600 clinical hours that also qualify them to sit for the NCC Certification Exam for Neonatal Nurse Practitioners. Students are responsible for arranging their clinical preceptors and site, and the process begins shortly after admission to allow for the establishment of hospital agreements with UMKC. During the preceptorship period, students generally proceed full-time (40 hours a week) but part-time study (20 hours a week) is also possible.