Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program in Maryland - MD

Neonatal nurse practitioner programs in Maryland educate registered nurses who are interested in taking on a more responsible role in providing health care services to infants in need.  Education for neonatal nurse practitioners is offered at the graduate level, with the minimum degree accepted being a master’s. Most master’s degree NNP programs require students to have both a registered nurse license in the state as well as an undergraduate degree in nursing prior to admission to graduate school. However, some schools will admit RNs without undergraduate degrees or with undergraduate degrees in a field other than nursing.

Nursing school for neonatal nurse practitioners consists of didactic courses and practical courses providing work experience.  Courses may be taken online or in the classroom, and usually include core classes such as advanced nursing theory, statistical methods, fetal and neonatal pathophysiology, neonatal physical assessment, neonatal clinical pharmacology, and parent-child nursing. Practical experience usually lasts at least one semester and takes place at medical facilities throughout Maryland.

After completing graduate school, neonatal nurse practitioners must take a certification examination before becoming licensed in Maryland. The Maryland Board of Nursing accepts the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner certification provided by the National Certification Corporation. Examinations providing this certification are offered once a year, typically in September, at the AMP test site in Baltimore.