2026 Career Planning Guide
NURSING SPECIALITIES KEY: n Minimum Education required n Certifications required n Experience needed n Certification credential n Possible employment n Professional Organization n References / Resources
NICU nurses provide 24-hour care for premature or ill newborns( and their families), including assessment, feeding, developmen- tal care, treatments, medications, continuous monitoring and neonatal transport. Nurses manage these critically ill infants including those that require cardio-respiratory support, me- chanical ventilation, post-operative care and complex drug infusions. NICU nurses support and educate the newborn’ s family and act as patient advocates. With graduate prepara- tion and additional certification, neonatal nurses can become advanced practice nurses as Neonatal Nurse Practitioners( NNP) or Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialists( NCNS).
n ASN / ADN( BSN preferred) n RNC-NIC, RNC-LRN
n 24-months specialty experience as a U. S. or Canadian RN comprised of a minimum of 2,000 hours.( This must have occurred sometime in your career.) Specialty experience can be comprised of direct patient care, education, administration or research. Employment in the specialty must have occurred sometime in the last 24 months. Both practice time and hours must be met.
n RNC-NIC, RNC-LRN n Hospitals( Acute Care settings) n National Association of Neonatal Nurses( www. nann. org) n Academy of Neonatal Nursing( www. academyofneonatalnursing. org)
Nephrology Nurse
Assists patients with kidney diseases or disorders, including dialysis, management of the disease and any subsequent rehabilitation.
n ASN / ADN( BSN preferred) n CNN, CDN, and CNN-NP administered by the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission n 3,000 hours experience in nephrology nursing within three years n CNN, CDN, CNN-NP n Acute / critical care in hospitals, nephrology / dialysis clinics, transplant units and home care n American Nephrology Nurses’ Association( www. annanurse. org)
Neuroscience Nurse
50 NSNA Imprint