Becoming a Neonatal Nurse
'Neo meaning new and natal meaning birth' refers to the neonatal period - the first 28 days of life.
The neonatal nurse is a registered nurse and/or midwife who through study and practice becomes an expert in the care of the preterm or sick
neonate cared for in neonatal units.
Neonatal nurses work in a variety of areas and their role encompasses clinical, educational, managerial and research aspects. The role also integrates with other roles relating to maternal and child health and is practiced in a variety of settings. Work areas include, but are not limited to, special care nursery (SCN)/special care baby unit (SCBU), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), postnatal ward, neonatal emergency transport/rescue units (NETS/NeoRescue), or in the community.
It can be a challenging role, but is immensely rewarding and exciting.
Neonatal Nurses advocate for the provision of individualised, neuroprotective, developmentally and culturally appropriate, family-centred care.
How to become a neonatal nurse in Australia
- Undertake registered nurse and/or midwifery training and/or become registered to practice in Australia
- Contact hospitals in your area/city who have a neonatal unit and ask how they manage their recruitment and training for neonatal nurses
- Employment in a neonatal unit is required before undertaking postgraduate studies in neonatal nursing
- Each state and territory has different requirements, so please enquire at your local level
Neonatal nursing postgraduate programs
Many Universities and the Australian College of Nursing have graduate certificate/postgraduate neonatal specific courses. As requirements and course details may change from time to time, please seek information direct from providers.
The following list is a guide and is not exhaustive
- Australian Catholic University (ACU), ACT: website
- Australian College of Nursing (ACN), NSW: website
- Curtin University (CU), WA: website
- Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide: website
- James Cook University (JCU), Queensland: website
- La Trobe University, Victoria: website
- Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) Adelaide: website
- University of Tasmania (UTAS), Tasmania: website
- University of Technology Sydney (UTS), NSW: website
To assist in your decision you may want to access the Standards for higher education which can be found at http://www.teqsa.gov.au/
ACNN accepts no responsibility for changed or incorrect information.
