Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program in Virginia - VA

Neonatal nurse practitioner programs in Virginia prepare students to work under a physician’s supervision and care for infants who may need critical care services. Neonatal nurse practitioner education is at the graduate plane, and open to those who already have a bachelor degree and a Virginia registered nurse license. Programs are available both on the Internet and in more traditional college and university settings.

Coursework in a neonatal nurse practitioner education program will be specific to caring for neonates. Basic requirements include course in pharmacology, physiology, anatomy, disorders and nutrition, all having to do with the neonate as patient. In addition, students must fulfill a clinical practicum at a hospital or medical facility that works in conjunction with one’s school. Examples in Virginia include the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Saint Mary's Hospital of Richmond, Lynchburg General Hospital in Lynchburg and Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church.

Graduates will then need to take a national certification test that will allow them to be called NNP-BC (Neonatal Nurse Practitioner – Board Certified) through the National Certification Corporation. Then one may apply for advanced practice licensure and prescriptive authority, both of which are necessary to practice in Virginia, through the Virginia Board of Nursing. You must also fill out a Practice Agreement form developed in cooperation with your supervising physician and submit a Practice Protocol to the board.