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 practised 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
- Federation University Australia: website
- La Trobe University, Victoria: website
- University of Melbourne, Victoria: website
- University of Tasmania (UTAS), Tasmania: website
- University of Technology Sydney (UTS), NSW: website
- Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) Adelaide: website
To assist in your decision you may want to access the Standards for Higher Education which can be found HERE
ACNN accepts no responsibility for changed or incorrect information.
Updated 16 November 2022
