In the neonatal intensive care unit, there is little room for uncertainty.
Patients are fragile, conditions change quickly, and nursing care can mean the difference between mortality and morbidity.
Having the right preparation and support is essential.
Cohen Children’s Medical Center created a structured NICU nurse boot camp designed to prepare nurses for neonatal certification and strengthen confidence, connection, and commitment to the specialty.
“Nurses practice with a high level of autonomy in the NICU,” said Suzanne Monteleone, DNP, RNC-NIC, senior director in the NICU. “They provide care 24/7, and their decisions directly impact outcomes. Supporting those nurses is foundational.”
Since 2024, 34 nurses have completed the boot camp, with an 85% certification pass rate and full retention of all participants.
Individualized support
The boot camp is not part of initial orientation but a professional development opportunity for NICU nurses wanting specialty certification.
Nurses must have two years of clinical NICU experience and register for the certification exam before starting the program to reinforce accountability and momentum.
“The content is individualized based on the student,” said Courtney Volavka, MSN, RNC-NIC, clinical professional development educator. “Nurses come in with different experiences depending on their unit and acuity level. We let them choose where they need deeper support.”
Building one structured program has leveraged up-to-date evidence-based learning. Each module follows the outline of the certification exam and the core neonatal curriculum. Topics include maternal risk factors, resuscitation and stabilization, nutrition and feeding, neurodevelopmental care, family-centered care, among others.
Progress is tracked through quizzes, interactive review activities, and individual follow-up.
Learning together
Before the boot camp, nurses studied on their own and relied on review books and paper materials. While the motivation was there, support was inconsistent.
“Nurses wanted more supplemental material to help study and keep them on track for the certification exam,” Volavka said. “They wanted interaction and collaboration.”
The boot camp was started in response to that feedback. The program was created within two months by NICU nurse educators with leadership support. While Cohen Children’s designed the initiative, it is open to NICU nurses across the health system.
“Nurse educators at other sites often cover multiple areas in the hospital, so it’s really difficult for them to carve out time just for neonatal nurses and support them toward getting certified,” Volavka said.
The model also builds community among nurses. Teresa Amante, MSN, RN, CPN, nurse manager in the NICU talked with participants who shared they had gone years without becoming certified because they didn’t have anyone to hold them accountable.
“Nurses have loved having each other to lean on and study with,” Amante said. “We’ve had nurses with 20 years of experience join because working together and pushing each other made certification feel achievable.”
It has also shown nurses the hospital’s commitment to their development. Certification is not required for the job; it is a personal decision.
Retaining nurses
Leaders said the boot camp is one contributor to the NICU’s low turnover rate but called recognition the underlying retention lever.
“Certification comes with financial and public recognition, and we want them to feel more valued,” Monteleone said. “We’re investing in them and want them to develop their knowledge.”
The hospital tracks certification rates as part of its process and Magnet-related metrics. Monteleone said they have been proactive in understanding how to maintain education and continue to offer professional development opportunities.
“When we step back from keeping staff certified, the rates drop,” Monteleone said. “This program is run constantly so nurses understand where and when they can go for help.”
Strengthening confidence
Children’s hospitals nationwide are experiencing severe shortages of registered nurses with the training needed to care for children. Many like Cohen Children’s have invested their own funds into creative programs to recruit and retain pediatric nurses.
Amante emphasized leadership and staff buy-in helped launch the boot camp.
“You want leadership support because it takes time to build this program,” Amante said. “But you also need nurses to want this. Without their desire to grow, the program won’t go far.”
