As you might already know, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is required to become a neonatal nurse practitioner. Below we have collected a list of schools by state, which have the best neonatal nurse practitioner programs in the U.S…

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Commonly, to obtain this degree, you must have at least 2 years of experience as a registered nurse in a Level III (or equivalent) NICU within the last 5 years.

Alabama

University of Alabama (UAB) School of Nursing, Birmingham

University of South Alabama, Mobile

California

University of California, San Fransisco

California State University, Long Beach

Colorado

Regis University, Denver

Connecticut

University of Connecticut, Storrs – they are planning to add a Neonatal Acute Care specialty track

Florida

University of Florida, Gainesville

Louisiana

Louisiana Statue University (LSUHSC), New Orleans

Massachusetts

Northeastern University, Boston

Michigan

Wayne State University, Detroit

Missouri

University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), Kansas City

North Carolina

Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON), Durham

East Carolina University, Greenville

New York

University of Rochester, Rochester

Stony Brook University, Stony Brook

Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

South Carolina

Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston

Tennessee

Vanderbilt University, Nashville

Texas

Baylor University, Dallas

Washington

University of Washington, Seattle

West Virginia

West Virginia University, Morgantown

Canada

University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Alabama

University of Alabama School of Nursing, Birmingham

University of South Alabama College of Nursing, Mobile

Arizona

Arizona State University, Phoenix

Colorado

University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) Beth-El College, Colorado Springs

Connecticut

University of Connecticut, Storrs

Illinois

Rush University, Chicago

University of Illinois, Chicago

Iowa

University of Iowa, Iowa City

Missouri

University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City

New York

Columbia University School of Nursing (CUSON) , New York

Stony Brook University, Stony Brook

North Carolina

Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON), Durham

Ohio

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland

Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh

Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson School of Nursing, Philadelphia

South Carolina

Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston

Tennessee

University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing, Memphis

Vanderbilt University, Nashville

Washington

University of Washington, Seattle

West Virginia

West Virginia University, Morgantown

• Region
• Experience
• Education
• Company size
• Industry
• Skills and specialties

Nature of Work

As a neonatal nurse, you can work in a hospital like most do, or have a position in the community, providing home care. In a hospital, you can work in a Level II nursery, with less critically ill infants, or in a Level III nursery, with the most acutely ill infants.

A Level III nursery is commonly known as neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In NICU, you might care for one to four infants, and expect to work extra hard, because patients must be treated around the clock, and even on weekends and holidays.

Most neonatal nurses work 8 to 12-hour day or night shifts. If you work on nights and weekends, you will receive additional compensation.

This information should help you understand better a neonatal nurses’s nature of work, and different condition can certainly affect the salary significantly.

If you want to know a neonatal nurse salary in your region, you can contact several hospitals where you are interested in working.

Here are some statistics for neonatal nurse salary in the United States…

Neonatal Nurse Salary

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2010, the lowest annual salary for registered nurses (including neonatal nurses) is $44,190 and the highest can exceed $95,000. Most registered nurses earn $67,720 every year.

We cannot retrieve the salary of neonatal nurses from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), because they present the data as a whole registered nurses. But we think neonatal nurse salary is more or less the same, unlike neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) salary which is definitely higher.

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) Salary

For neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs) with less experience, the average annual salary is $80,242. For more experienced nurses, the average annual salary is $91,000-$101,000. We collected this data from various sources and actual reports from employees in various states in 2011.

Salary by State

- Top paying states for neonatal nurse practitioners (NNP) in 2011 -

Our latest data shows thatin the United States, about 60% of NNPs work in companies with less than 500 employees, 17% in companies with 1,000-7,500 employees, and 20% in companies with more than 15,000 employees. Our record also indicates that the smaller the company size, the higher the salary tends to be.

About 13% of NNPs in the U.S. have a DNP degree and the rest have Master’s. Read also neonatal nurse practitioner programs.