Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Postgraduate Certificate Program Details

The Neonatal Nurse Practitioner postgraduate certificate program is offered in both part-time and full-time study options. The start of matriculation will be in the term consistent with the needs of your plan of study.

For postgraduate certificate students, an APRN graduate degree in nursing is required and the plans of study are individualized based on your previous graduate work. What your plan of study looks like depends on when your previous graduate degree was obtained, as national requirements have changed over time. No two graduate programs look the same and each school provides required graduate content in different ways. Consequently, you should send the program coordinator a copy of your previous graduate degree transcripts and key syllabi, as requested, to determine required coursework prior to application. A minimum of 600 clinical practicum hours are required for the postgraduate certificate.

Course Work

Course work is delivered online and in compressed format. You will start your advanced practice specialty course work with a health assessment course. This course is online; however, the program requires a three-day campus visit. Campus visits maximize interaction among students and faculty and provide learning opportunities difficult to achieve online. You will then move into your specialty management courses.

Clinical Practica

Education is built on a strong foundation of neonatal experience. Thus, you must have at least two years of full-time neonatal experience before starting the clinical portion of your program.

Clinical practicum sites are available at Rush University Medical Center and at select sites in the Chicago metropolitan area. Sites may include your home unit or other neonatal settings in your geographic area that meet program requirements. Due to the variety of different state regulations and limitations, we cannot guarantee clinical practica placement if you move to another state after matriculating.

As a distance student, you are responsible for initiating contact with qualified local preceptors. The program director will then evaluate all practice sites/preceptors to guarantee that educational objectives will be met. Rush has been successful in negotiating most distance clinical practicum contracts, but success is not guaranteed. Rush may also need to be a recognized provider by the board of nursing in your state. For these reasons, we encourage you to start planning your clinical practicum experiences with the program coordinator as early as possible.

Certification

This program prepares and qualifies you for eligibility for board certification as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner by the National Certification Corporation. Program graduates have an exceptional first time pass rate on the national exam.

Common Applicant Questions for all Nursing Programs