National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

First and foremost, members of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) are experts in pediatrics and advocates for children.

Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) and our fellow pediatric-focused advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are certified, licensed advanced practice nurses who have obtained a master’s degree, postgraduate certificate and/or clinical practice doctorate from an accredited academic program. We have completed advanced course work in physical/health assessment, pharmacology and pathophysiology.

Primary care pediatric-focused APRN curriculum content includes health promotion, disease prevention, and differential diagnosis and disease management with a minimum of 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours. Acute care pediatric-focused ARPN curriculum focuses on health restoration and caring for children with acute, critical, chronic and complex illness or injuries.  These advanced course and practice requirements are in addition to an initial nursing degree (typically RN baccalaureate) and licensure requirements. Beyond educational requirements, we have passed a national certification exam with a specific population focus (family, adult-gerontology, neonatal, pediatric primary care, pediatric acute care, women’s health, psychiatric-mental health) and expand our knowledge through ongoing continuing education.