A survey of the current neonatal nurse practitioner workforce

Objective: To assess the adequacy and characteristics of the US neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) workforce. Study Design: Internet-based survey of 271 NNP conference participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS ( version 14; Chicago, IL, USA); descriptive statistics, including chi(2)-tests of independence, were performed (alpha = 0.05). Result: Respondents were primarily masters-prepared females, working in level III newborn intensive care units. Unfilled NNP positions were common; time estimated to fill positions averaged 6-18 months. One-third of the respondents' practice settings had substituted other providers. The mean NNP salary was $86 700. Motivators for becoming an NNP included autonomy and increased knowledge; challenges identified were overload of responsibilities and the NNP shortage. Conclusion: This study provides the first data about NNP education and workforce characteristics in the United States. The use of an internet-based data collection process facilitated the rapid response of a large sample of NNPs and demonstrated the effectiveness of this method of data collection. The results of this survey suggest a mismatch between the need for NNPs the available NNP workforce supply.