NEONATAL RESUSCITATION PROGRAM (NRP)

The Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP®) was developed by the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics to teach an evidence-based approach to newborn care and facilitate effective team-based care for healthcare professionals who care for newborns at the time of delivery. NRP utilizes a blended-learning approach, which includes online testing, online case-based simulations, and hands-on case-based simulation/debriefing that focus on critical leadership, communication, and team-work skills.  

The NRP Provider Course introduces the concepts and basic skills of neonatal resuscitation. It is designed for health care professionals involved in any aspect of neonatal resuscitation, including physicians, nurses, advanced practice nurses, nurse midwives, licensed midwives, respiratory care practitioners, and other health care professionals who provide direct care during neonatal resuscitation.

Essentials or Advanced

For the 8th edition of NRP there are two different types of Provider: Essentials and Advanced. 

NRP Essentials covers lessons 1 through 4 of the Textbook of Neonatal Resuscitation, 8th Edition. Anyone who is involved in the care of a newborn should take NRP Essentials. 

NRP Advanced covers lessons 1 through 11 of the textbook. It is appropriate for those who attend births and are responsible for anticipated resuscitation of a newborn with known risk factors, and for those who participate in neonatal resuscitation beyond positive-pressure ventilation.

Each organization will determine its own policy for who should attain NRP Essentials or NRP Advanced provider status. If a healthcare professional is unsure about which NRP level to take, they should probably take NRP Advanced and should check with their institution, if applicable.

You are responsible for choosing the correct course, Essentials or Advanced. Once purchased, you are not able to change the online course and must purchase the correct course directly from the AAP. Please contact our office with any questions prior to registering.

Steps to achieving provider status are listed below. You can view videos to help you get started in the new NRP Learning Platform on the NRP 8th edition Updates page and to help you enroll in the NRP Provider Curriculum. 

Part 1 focuses on building a foundation of neonatal resuscitation knowledge. The learning activities in Part I include:

• Self-study the Textbook of Neonatal Resuscitation, 8th Ed
• Online Learning Assessment
  • Featuring True Adaptive™ learning – a personalized method tailored to individual knowledge and confidence levels. True Adaptive learning adjusts to the learner’s competence and performance in real-time.
• Advanced Exam (35 questions; for Advanced Curriculum only)
  • You have unlimited attempts to complete the exam
• Part 1 Evaluation

Provider Curriculum, Part 2

Part 2 includes the Instructor-led Event (hands-on portion of the course). You will need to attend an Instructor-led Event appropriate to your curriculum type (Essentials or Advanced; some events may include both). Activities include:

• Register for an Instructor-led Event, which includes:
  • Performance and Integrated Skills
    • The Performance Skills Station provides an opportunity to practice or review technical hands-on resuscitation skills with instructor assistance.
• The Integrated Skills Station allows the instructor to facilitate more than one scenario and evaluate the learner's readiness for simulation and debriefing.
• Simulation and Debriefing
  • Simulation and debriefing provide a safe setting in which to integrate cognitive and technical skills and focus on team communication and patient safety. The instructor will not coach, assist, or interrupt during a scenario.

You must register for an NRP 8th edition Instructor-led Event before attending the event. You can either register yourself for events or you can be registered by an instructor or administrator. 

Once you complete all steps, the instructor will approve your skills and your eCard will be generated. You will then have access to your NRP Provider eCard in your account on the NRP 8th edition Learning Platform.