The University of Connecticut was ranked number one in the United States for its Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program in RegisteredNursing.org’s annual ranking of the country’s top programs.
“After analyzing all the qualifying neonatal nurse practitioner programs in the nation, it became apparent that the University of Connecticut leads the way in nursing education,” said Sally Worthington of Registered Nursing.org. “[UConn’s] neonatal nurse practitioner program maintains a strong presence in the nursing education space.”
After UConn, Baylor University and the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s neonatal nurse practitioner programs were ranked second and third in the country.
According to the Registered Nursing.org website, a list of active programs across the country was first narrowed down to include just those using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to record enrollment information. All qualifying programs were then awarded points based on a variety of factors including accreditation, types of programs offered, tuition/fees, tenured faculty ratios, graduate rates and acceptance rates.
“Nursing programs were assessed on several factors which represent how well a program supports students during school, towards licensure, and beyond,” Worthington said.
“After analyzing all the qualifying neonatal nurse practitioner programs in the nation, it became apparent that the University of Connecticut leads the way in nursing education.”
Sally Worthington of Registered Nursing.org.
UConn’s NNP program has been fully online since 2013, according to program director and assistant clinical professor Valerie Artigas. The graduate-level program offers opportunities for neonatal nurses looking into care of newborns or advanced practice.
“Advanced practice nursing roles in Neonatology are among the oldest and most respected of all advanced practice roles in the U.S. and Canada,” Artigas said. “A career as a NNP is highly rewarding, with opportunities to provide life-saving care to newborn infants who are premature, severely ill, or who suffer from a variety of health conditions.”
Artigas attributed the NNP program’s success to its dedicated faculty and students who had positive experiences.
“Through the dedication of the NNP program faculty we have grown to be one of the largest online programs here in the U.S.,” Artigas said. “Our students and graduates share their positive experiences often with national professional health care and nursing advocacy groups and we are most grateful to all of them for making our NNP Program [ranked #1 in the country].”
