stm94

Thank you everybody! :)

The schools at the top of my list are University of Pennsylvania (2nd favorite), Vanderbilt (this one is my all-time favorite), Duke, and University of Missouri - Kansas City. Requirements by college and length of program and tuition pricing info (just tuition and fees; no living expenses factored in): UPenn - Ideal for the in class learning style (no distance format offered). For me, of course, that would require me to relocate to Philly and go to school there. This program is one year long to complete, full-time. But, there are also part-time options available that would take 2-3 years to complete the program. The requirements for admission into their NNP program are that you have 2 years full-time experience post-orientation (so at least 3 total years) as a staff nurse in a level III NICU. Pricing for this program alone (just tuition and fees for a full-time year based on Fall 2016/Spring 2017) is $43,662. This does not include living expenses/books, etc. Vanderbilt - modified distance learning format, meaning, that you do not have to give up employment, or relocate to Nashville, TN for this program. There are 3 blocks of days that you'd have to go to Nashville and participate in clinical practicums and orientation and events like that. You would have to come to campus a total of 6 times. 3 times for the fall (7, 5, and 3 days); twice in the spring (5 and 3 days); and once during the summer (for 2 days). This would come out to roughly 25 days for the entire MSN. This program could be full or part-time, ranging from 1-3 years in length, with options for post-masters certification as well. For admission into this program, you would need 2 years of recent (last 2 years) full-time, staff nurse experience in a level II/III NICU/nursery. Tuition and fees for this program total out to be roughly (if my math is correct) $57,108. In addition, the price of books vary (depending on used/new/etc) and the website says that books would be about $2,200. In with fees (that I did not include because it is circumstantial) is health insurance (you will be billed for the university's health insurance if you do not provide proof of adequate insurance through another provider and it does not cover spouses or dependents) and activity/facility fees (that can be waived if you live outside a 60-mile radius of Vanderbilt). Letters of recommendation are also required for this program. 1 from neonatologist, 1 from a NNP, and 1 from a supervisor. No letters from co-workers/family/friends (as this is unprofessional). Duke - part-time program that is distance-based, so you shouldn't have to give up employment to complete the program; BUT clinical spots cannot be guaranteed for every state, so relocation is still a possibility. The admission requirements for this program are 2 years (within the last 5 years) of clinical experience before the clinical phase of the program begins (so to my understanding - as I may be misinterpreting this - is a little more lenient than other programs). This program is 43 credit hours long, with 616 clinical hours (which is where clinical placement is crucial) so it would take approximately 3 years to complete. As per the website, the average tuition and fees for the NNP program is $8,741 per semester. With that being said, there may be more fees generated upon admission and as the program goes on (that goes for any program though). Letters of recommendation are required for this program also (they said one from a teacher/professor and one from a supervisor) that have to show your academic abilities, as well as character and accomplishments in nursing. UMKC - completely online based program with clinical sites in your place of employment (so you can work and go to school). I will say that UMKC does not accept people from all states. You'd have to check out their website and see if your state is accepted. This program is 45 credit hours with clinical hours completed in your local level III or IV NICU. This program is offered for full (2 years in length) or part-time (3 years in length). This program starts in the summer regardless of what track you pick. There is a residency component to the program, as you will have to go to UMKC for a few days every semester during their clinicals. The tuition/fees for this program is about $24,752.70 (based on what 1 credit hour costs multiplied by the 45 hour requirement for the program). The good thing about this program is that no matter where you live (as per the website), and if your state is accepted for admission, you get Missouri in-state tuition rates for classes, which dropped the price ALOT. Those are the top schools and a rough breakdown of everything that is required for each program (that I've looked at). There are a few other programs across the country. I didn't mention this in each program, but GRE scores and GPA requirements are required for admission and vary based on the program. Spots are limited since this is a competitive field to go into (as I've read on several sites). I hope that this helps and sorry about this response being so long. I just wanted to answer your question fully and give you what I researched so far! Best of luck! :) P.S. you can check out Graduate Programs | NANN for a complete list of NNP programs in the country. There are CNS programs and NP programs available.

This was posted on a post in the NICU/Neonatal section. But I was curious about the NNP and babyNP answered it fully! Hope this helps!

Hello! Just out of curiosity, is there any particular stigma against males in the NICU? It's been my dream to work in a NICU; but I'm curious about how other nurses and how patient's parents feel about there being a male in the NICU. I'm pretty sure there are several posts about this topic, so sorry in advance! Thank you to everyone!! :)

Hello all! I was just wondering if it was too early to be looking at graduate school. I'm just now starting my first year in nursing school this coming August. I think that I want to go into the NICU when I finish school because of my little brother and I. We were both premature babies (I was 3 lbs 5 oz and he was 1 lb and 13 oz) and neither of us would have been here today if it weren't for the nursing and medical staff in the NICU. I could remember being in the room and staring at all machines and cords and just wondering what was going to happen to him because he was so tiny. It just fascinated me and inspired me to be there for other families just like his nurse was for us. I still remember her coming into the waiting room and playing with me so that I wouldn't have to be too bored and her bringing me back into his room and trying to explain to me what all was going on. This is what all inspries me to get through nursing school and get into the local children's hospital's NICU. I understand that once I get into my peds rotations and lectures that something might change, but I highly doubt it. My hopes are to become a NNP - eventually. I know that I need to have at least 2 years of full-time experience in a level 3 or higher NICU for admission into most programs; so, I have a while to figure everything out before actually figuring out the details and applying, but I just wanted someone else's perspective on this. I've read posts about other people choosing NNP programs and what to expect as a typical day's work as a NNP (big thanks to babyNP for your informative posts!) Sorry for the long post, and thank you to everyone! Hope you all have a great day!