ACNN acknowledges the Australian standards for practice for registered nurses, registered midwives, nurse practitioners and enrolled
nurses. The standards applying to registered nurses (RNs) were selected as the foundation for the ACNN Neonatal Nurses Standards for
Practice due to their broader applicability.
These Neonatal Nurses Standards for Practice are provided within the context of the Australian healthcare system. Neonatal nursing practice includes direct clinical care and various other roles in which neonatal nurses use their professional skills and knowledge.
ACNN acknowledges that the Australian community is culturally rich and diverse. Neonatal nurses have a professional responsibility to provide care that is culturally safe and respectful of all peoples, especially our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities.
These Neonatal Nurses Standards for Practice apply specifically to registered nurses and/or registered midwives, who work in a clinical or
non-clinical capacity to contribute to the care of neonates and their families within inpatient and post-discharge contexts. They inform
professional practice, professional development and capability for all neonatal nurses in the provision of safe, high quality clinical care
and are inclusive, but not limited to, direct clinical care, education, leadership, management and research.
Download the ACNN
Standards for Practice Fourth Edition,
released 2019. These standards are available in electronic format only and you are invited to share them and make available to your
neonatal nursing colleagues within your workplaces by downloading the PDF document to print and/or save as a desktop icon on your work
computers.
The Standards are currently being updated and due for release in September 2024.