Skip to Content
Skip to Navigation

Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist Graduate Certificate Program

This Graduate Certificate Program in Advanced Practice Nursing (GCPAPN) offers an opportunity for nurses who have earned a graduate degree in nursing (MN, DNP or PhD) to develop the knowledge and skills needed to function as a clinical nurse specialist in neonatal care. The Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist (NCNS) serves as an expert clinical resource for nurses, other health care providers, and families and provides consultation, education, research and leadership in neonatal care. Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist graduates are eligible to apply for certification as a neonatal acute and critical clinical nurse specialist (CCNS) from the American  Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation.

The program takes 12 months. The NCNS curriculum will be individualized for GCPAPN students, but will require completion of the core graduate NCNS curriculum. All NCNS graduate certificate courses are offered with distance learning support, making the program accessible to students who live outside of the Seattle area and to local students with limited availability during the week. Students who live outside of Washington State should contact the NCNS faculty lead prior to applying to discuss clinical placement options.