Working in hospital settings, neonatal nurse practitioners provide care, order and interpret diagnostic tests, and develop complex treatment plans designed to maximize the health of their patients and prevent complications. Under the leadership of Program Chair Media Esser, PhD, NNP-BC, APNP, CWN, the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner master’s program will prepare students to provide acute and critical advanced practice nursing care to preterm (i.e., infants born less than 37 weeks of pregnancy), full-term newborns, and infants and children up to 2 years old. If you are a neonatal nurse with a masters of science degree in nursing who has a deep interest in providing a higher level of care, Alverno has the program for you. The program will be offered online, except for an advanced clinical procedures course (on-campus) and clinical practicum experiences.
Students work closely in an asynchronous classroom with faculty. The curriculum consists of in-depth content including core nurse practitioner content with in-depth track courses focused on neonatal embryology, patho-physiology, pharmacology, health assessment, and family-centered care. The neonatal courses provide case studies, problem-based learning, and web-based opportunities to enhance critical appraisal skills required in their future practice.
The web-based learning in this program enhances the 8 abilities: communication, analysis, problem-solving, social interaction, effective citizenship, valuing, aesthetic engagement, and global perspective, all of which are integral to the core of Alverno and the advanced practice registered nurse role. The e-learning platform provides an opportunity for dynamic engagement among the students and builds the community of learning through the deliberate use of the Alverno abilities. The NNP program emphasizes the use of meaningful feedback and its relationship to the NNP in practice. The abilities-based curriculum in combination with self-assessment/reassessment builds the skills employers desire. If you are ready to reach your potential and advance your career, Alverno’s NNP program will challenge you to go as far as your potential will take you.
Interested applicants for the post-masters NNP program will need two years of NICU level III or above full-time experience prior to the beginning of the clinical placement. The Alverno NNP program prepares the graduate to take the board certification exam offered by the National Certification Corporation for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and to apply for prescriptive authority within the State of Wisconsin.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisites | ||
| MSN-615 | Adv Practice Roles & Nursing Theories | 3 |
| MSN-621 | Advanced Physiology & Pathophysiology | 3 |
| MSN-622 | Advanced Health & Physical Assessment | 3 |
| MSN-623 | Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics & Clinical Decision Making | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MSN-600A | Orientation to Post Masters Program | 0 |
| MSN-681 | Advanced Pathophysiology & Pharmacology in Neonatology | 3 |
| MSN-682 | Advanced Neonatal Physical Assessment (physical is spelled wrong) | 1 |
| MSN-683 | Advanced Clinical Procedures in Neonatology | 2 |
| MSN-684 & 684P | Advanced Practice Neonatology 1 and NNP Pract 1 | 5 |
| MSN-685 & 685P | Advanced Practicum Neonatology 2 and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Practicum 2 | 5 |
| MSN-686 & 686P | Advanced Critical Care Neonatology 3 and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Practicum 3 | 5 |