How Much Does it Cost to Go to School for Being a Neonatal Nurse?

by Robyn Tellefsen

If you're a registered nurse (RN) who works with high-risk newborns, dreams of becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner might be making rounds in your mind. But to be fully qualified to deliver comprehensive care to pre- and full-term infants who are critically ill or have chronic conditions, you'll need to pursue additional nursing education in neonatology. So why not learn all about neonatal nursing school costs and turn your career dreams into reality?

Neonatal Nursing Programs
Neonatology is a nurse practitioner specialty, and most states require that nurse practitioners earn a master of science in nursing (MSN) degree. If you don't already have a bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN), you can enroll in a BSN-to-MSN program to complete your neonatal nursing requirements.

Many MSN degree programs offer a neonatal nursing major, but BSN-to-MSN programs may only confer a general nurse practitioner degree. In that case, you'll need to pursue a postgraduate certificate on top of your MSN degree if you plan to specialize in neonatal care.

It takes three or four semesters to complete a 40- to 60-hour neonatal nursing degree program. A postgraduate certificate program in neonatal nursing requires the same or fewer credits.

Neonatal Nursing School Costs
Neonatal nursing school costs are entirely dependent upon the type of school you choose. On the high end of neonatal nursing tuition, private universities can charge as much as $1,000 per credit; on the low end, state universities charge about $200 per credit for residents and $500 per credit for nonresidents.

For a 40-credit program, you could be spending anywhere from $8,000 to $40,000 on neonatal nursing tuition. For a 60-credit program, you might be paying $12,000 to $60,000. Before you enroll in a program, find out how many credits are needed to graduate so that you can accurately calculate the total neonatal nursing school costs. And don't forget to factor in additional costs for textbooks, lab fees, clinical placement fees, liability insurance, and more.

Costs of Neonatal Nursing Certification
Other costs that may or may not be built into your neonatal nursing tuition are those associated with professional certification. Upon graduation from an accredited graduate- or postgraduate-level neonatal nursing program, you should be prepared to take a National Certification Corporation (NCC) exam. NCC, which is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, the accreditation body of the National Organization for Competency Assurance, offers the Nurse Practitioner Credential as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP-BC). The cost of the paper-based certification exam is $250, and the cost of the computer-based exam is $300. You may also need to purchase study materials to pass the neonatal nursing certification exam.

Neonatal Nursing Scholarships
To offset neonatal nursing school costs, many programs offer neonatal nursing scholarships based on academic achievement as well as financial need. Plus, a variety of professional organizations have earmarked awards for neonatal nurses.

The March of Dimes awards $5,000 scholarships for RNs enrolled in graduate programs of maternal-child nursing. The Lundbeck, Inc. Neonatal Nursing Career Path Scholarship is available to members of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses who have been accepted into an accredited neonatal nurse practitioner program. And the Academy of Neonatal Nursing offer $1,000 academic scholarships to its members who are pursuing academic advancement in neonatal nursing.

If you want to make a huge impact on tiny people, get to work on becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner. The benefits easily outweigh the costs.