The McMaster Graduate Diploma Program in Advanced Neonatal Nursing is a graduate level advanced nursing practice specialty program offered within the Faculty of Health Sciences and sponsored by the Office of the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies (Health Sciences), MDCL 2235.

The Diploma Program is specifically designed to prepare neonatal nurse practitioners.  The advanced neonatal nursing component has been offered at McMaster University since 1986.  The program has gained national and international recognition as a result of the extensive research that has been an integral part of its planning, development, and evaluation. See:

• DiCenso, A.,  et al., (2010)  Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nurse Practitioners in Canada.  A Decision Support Synthesis.  Ottawa, ON Canadian Health Services Research Foundation.
• Mitchell, A., et al. (1996). A controlled trial of nurse practitioners in neonatal intensive care.  Pediatrics 98(6):1143 1148.
• Mitchell, A., et al. (1995). Evaluation of an educational program to prepare neonatal nurse practitioners. Journal of Nursing Education, 34(6): 286 289.
• Mitchell, A., et al. (1991). Evaluation of graduating neonatal nurse practitioners. Pediatrics, 88(4):789 794.

The Graduate Diploma is available to qualified students as an extension of the M.Sc. degree in the Nursing Program.  The Diploma is also available to qualified individuals who have successfully completed a master's degree with a clinical nursing component. Graduates are eligible to take the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner examination approved by the College of Nurses of Ontario Council for registration in the NP-Paediatrics specialty.

Resources

Faculty resources for the program include:  Master's prepared certified neonatal nurse practitioners; clinical nurse specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, and in pediatric nephrology; neonatal pharmacist and nutritionist; neonatologists and other members of the Department of Pediatrics, including the subspecialties of general surgery, neurosurgery, genetics, nephrology, neurology, cardiology, and gastroenterology.

The educational program utilizes the resources of the McMaster Children's Hospital, Neonatal ICU.  The unit is the regional referral centre for central west Ontario.  It is a state of the art, tertiary care unit with 47 beds and an annual admission rate of 1200 infants.  Learning experiences for the students are enhanced by the multidisciplinary approach to care and by the unit's 18 neonatal nurse practitioners, which is the largest group of neonatal nurse practitioners in any one unit in Canada.  Clinical experiences include attendance at high risk deliveries, and neonatal transport, as well as the care of ill and convalescing premature and term newborns.

Acceptance to this Graduate Diploma program follows the established procedures and standards for admission to the Master of Science in Nursing degree program at McMaster University. Application materials and an explanation of procedures are provided here; The Diploma Program is available to both full- and part-time students admitted from the Nursing M.Sc. Program (Category 1) or Post-Master's Degree students (Category 2).

Category 1 Nursing M.Sc. Program, Neonatal Stream

Nursing students must have completed at least three quarters of their course work requirements for the McMaster M.Sc. degree prior to admission, since the Diploma requirements are additional to those requirements for the M.Sc. degree. Students may apply and register in this Diploma Program while completing their M.Sc. thesis research. However, a separate application and tuition fee are required for enrolment in the Advanced Neonatal Nursing Diploma Program. The tuition fee for 2011/12 is $ $11,249.00 plus incidental fees when applicable (fees are subject to change).

Students in the M.Sc. program in Nursing must complete with at least a B- standing the following required courses: NUR *701, *709, or HRM *701 or *702, HRM *721, HRM/NUR *745, and one additional course selected by the student in conjunction with the supervisor or supervisory committee.

For the Graduate Diploma Program in Advanced Neonatal Nursing, at least two years' experience in neonatal critical care will be required in addition to specific requirements of the M.Sc. degree program in Nursing.

Category 2 Post-Master's Degree Students

The Graduate Diploma Program is also open to qualified applicants who have already completed or are currently enrolled in a relevant Master's degree having successfully completed at least three quarters of the course requirement, either at McMaster or at another University. In this case, admission to the Diploma program as a post-degree student does not guarantee subsequent admission to McMaster's M.Sc. or Ph.D. program in Nursing. The tuition fee for 2011/12 is $ $11,249.00 plus incidental fees when applicable (fees are subject to change). The following materials are required for enrolment in the Graduate Diploma in Advanced Neonatal Nursing Program:

• Completed or currently enrolled in a Master's degree in a clinical nursing specialty with at least a B+ standing
• Evidence of eligibility to be registered or licensed in her/his own province/country
• Minimum of two years' experience in neonatal critical care
• Current curriculum vitae
• One clinical letter of reference
• Two academic letters of reference
• Autobiographical letter
• Original post-secondary transcripts
• Foreign applicants whose native language is not English are required to supply evidence of their proficiency in the use of the English language (e.g. TOEFL score of 92 (iBT), 580 (paper test) or 237 (computer test)).
• Completed application form and $90.00 application fee (Canadian currency)

For both Category 1 and Category 2 students, the Ontario Public Hospitals Act requires that all persons working in a hospital setting meet certain criteria regarding surveillance for infectious diseases. In order for the requirement of the legislation to be met, once students have been enrolled in the Program, they must complete Pre Clinical Communicable Disease Screening annually through the Student Health Services. More information will be sent to specific applicants prior to registration. Specific questions can be directed to the Office of the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies (Health Sciences).

Semester 1 – September to December
Course	Course Title and Format	Course Format and Schedule
NUR 720	Advanced Nursing Care of High Risk Infants and Families	Problem-based learning Meets for three (3) hours/week
NUR 721	Advanced Neonatal Nursing Clinical Practice 1	Students will spend 1 day/week in the NICU in clinical practice + 3 hours of seminars/week
Semester 2 – January to April
Course	Course Title and Format	Course Format
NUR 720	Advanced Nursing Care of High Risk Infants and Families	Problem-based learning Meets for three (3) hours each week over 12 weeks
NUR 721	Advanced Neonatal Nursing Clinical Practice 1	Students will spend 2 days/week in the NICU in clinical practice + 3 hours of seminars/week
Semester 3 – May and June
Course	Course Title and Format	Course Format
NUR 722	Advanced Neonatal Nursing Clinical Practice 2	Students will spend approximately seven 40-hour weeks in the NICU, including night and weekend coverage. Students will also participate in weekly seminars.

 

Students in the Diploma in Advanced Neonatal Nursing Program must complete with at least a B- standing the following required courses: NUR 720, NUR 721, NUR *722 .

The Ontario Public Hospitals Act requires that all persons working in a hospital setting meet certain criteria regarding surveillance for infectious diseases. In order for the requirement of the legislation to be met, once students have been enrolled in the Program, they must complete Pre-Clinical Communicable Disease Screening through the Student Health Services. More information will be sent to specific applicants prior to registration. Specific questions can be directed to the Office of the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies (Health Sciences).