Top 12 Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Skills to Put on Your Resume
In the highly specialized world of neonatal care, a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) stands at the bedside when seconds matter, guiding families and stabilizing fragile lives. To stand out, your resume needs to show a sharp, current mix of clinical, technical, and interpersonal skills—evidence of calm under pressure and deep, practiced expertise.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Skills
- Neonatal Resuscitation
- Ventilator Management
- NICU Protocols
- Premature Care
- Patient Monitoring
- IV Therapy
- Epic Systems
- Oracle Health Millennium (formerly Cerner Millennium)
- Developmental Support
- Lactation Consulting
- Infection Control
- Pain Management
1. Neonatal Resuscitation
Neonatal resuscitation is the immediate assessment and support of newborns who are not breathing or have poor tone or heart rate at birth. It’s a structured, time-sensitive response to jump-start breathing, circulation, and thermoregulation while preventing secondary injury.
Why It's Important
Because those first minutes can change everything. Effective resuscitation improves survival and lowers the risk of long-term complications by restoring ventilation and perfusion fast, safely, and in a coordinated way.
How to Improve Neonatal Resuscitation Skills
Keep your practice sharp and current with ongoing education, drills, and teamwork:
Stay updated: Review the latest AAP/AHA Neonatal Resuscitation guidance regularly; refresh certifications on schedule and debrief after real cases.
Simulation and mock codes: Run high-fidelity simulations with realistic scenarios, role clarity, and timed interventions. Rotate team leads. Measure performance; iterate.
Communication and choreography: Use closed-loop communication, concise directives, and pre-briefs. Assign roles before delivery when risk is known.
Equipment mastery: Check warmer setups, T-piece resuscitators, masks, laryngoscopes, and suction before every delivery. Practice mask seal and corrective ventilation steps.
Reflect and refine: Short, structured debriefs after each event drive rapid learning and reduce drift from protocol.
Focused practice tightens response times, reduces error, and lifts outcomes.
How to Display Neonatal Resuscitation Skills on Your Resume

2. Ventilator Management
Ventilator management in neonates means tailoring modes and settings to a tiny, evolving lung. It balances oxygenation and ventilation with lung-protective strategies to prevent injury while the infant heals and grows.
Why It's Important
Because the margin for error is razor-thin. Smart ventilation reduces volutrauma and barotrauma, improves gas exchange, and can lower the risk of chronic lung disease.
How to Improve Ventilator Management Skills
Hone judgment, embrace data, and collaborate:
Know your modes: Master CPAP, NIPPV, SIMV, pressure support, volume-targeted modes, and when to escalate to high-frequency ventilation.
Lung-protective strategies: Use the lowest effective PEEP and tidal volumes. Target safe oxygen saturations. Reassess frequently as physiology shifts.
Synchrony matters: Reduce patient–ventilator asynchrony; consider strategies like NAVA where available. Watch waveforms, not just numbers.
Read the whole picture: Integrate gases, transcutaneous monitoring, work of breathing, and radiographs. Adjust early; adjust often.
Team approach: Partner closely with respiratory therapists and neonatologists; establish shared protocols and regular bedside huddles.
Consistent, evidence-based adjustments make for gentler ventilation and better trajectories.
How to Display Ventilator Management Skills on Your Resume

3. NICU Protocols
NICU protocols are standardized, evidence-based pathways for neonatal care—covering respiratory support, nutrition, thermoregulation, sepsis evaluation, medication safety, and more. They reduce variation and keep care aligned with current science.
Why It's Important
Protocols protect infants by creating reliable processes, improving outcomes, and tightening safety across a complex environment.
How to Improve NICU Protocols Skills
Drive consistency while staying nimble:
Evidence first: Review and update protocols using current guidelines and reputable neonatal literature; sunset outdated practices.
Educate continuously: Provide brief refreshers, microlearning modules, and competency checks for the entire team.
Family-centered care: Embed parent engagement, skin-to-skin, and shared decision-making into protocols.
Quality improvement: Track key outcomes, benchmark with collaborative networks, and run PDSA cycles to close gaps.
Infection prevention: Include CLABSI and VAP bundles, hand hygiene audits, and environmental cleaning standards.
Interdisciplinary alignment: Co-create protocols with nursing, RTs, pharmacy, nutrition, and neonatology for buy-in and fidelity.
Strong protocols turn high-stakes care into safer, smarter routines.
How to Display NICU Protocols Skills on Your Resume

4. Premature Care
Premature care centers on infants born before 37 weeks—supporting immature lungs, brains, guts, and immune systems while promoting growth and bonding.
Why It's Important
Preterm infants are vulnerable to apnea, NEC, IVH, infection, feeding intolerance, and developmental challenges. Specialized care steers them toward safer, steadier development.
How to Improve Premature Care Skills
Blend precision with gentleness:
Keep learning: Engage in ongoing neonatal education, simulations, and journal clubs; align practice with current guidance.
Family at the center: Teach, involve, and support parents. Encourage kangaroo care and cue-based care.
Evidence-based feeding: Prioritize human milk, fortify appropriately, and use individualized feeding readiness cues.
Collaborate: Work in step with neonatologists, RTs, OT/PT/SLP, lactation, and dietitians to problem-solve early.
Technology with care: Use noninvasive ventilation, gentle monitoring, and minimal handling approaches to reduce stress.
Infection control: Maintain strict lines, skin care, and hygiene practices to curb hospital-acquired infections.
Consistent, developmentally sensitive care pays long-term dividends.
How to Display Premature Care Skills on Your Resume

5. Patient Monitoring
Patient monitoring is the continuous watch over heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, temperature, and more—interpreted in context and acted upon quickly.
Why It's Important
Early signals prevent bigger storms. Timely detection of instability allows rapid interventions and safer recoveries.
How to Improve Patient Monitoring Skills
See the data, then see beyond it:
Use integrated systems: Pull values from multiple devices into a single view; trend data to catch deterioration early.
Sharpen interpretation: Train on artifact recognition, waveform analysis, and alarm optimization to reduce noise and alarm fatigue.
Developmental lens: Balance monitoring needs with low-stimulation care; cluster care and protect sleep cycles.
Team communication: Standardize handoffs and huddles; convey trends, not just single numbers.
Escalation clarity: Establish clear thresholds and response pathways for changes in status.
Good monitoring isn’t passive—it’s anticipatory.
How to Display Patient Monitoring Skills on Your Resume

6. IV Therapy
IV therapy for neonates delivers fluids, medications, and nutrition directly into tiny veins with precision and vigilance, using the smallest effective catheters and meticulous technique.
Why It's Important
Accurate dosing, steady hydration, and timely medications can be life-saving. In neonates, margins are narrow and complications escalate quickly without careful oversight.
How to Improve IV Therapy Skills
Make every step deliberate:
Skill refresh: Maintain competencies in peripheral IVs, UVC/UAC care, PICC insertion/maintenance, and medication compatibility.
Asepsis always: Follow strict insertion and maintenance bundles; standardize dressing changes and hub scrubs.
Ultrasound guidance: Use ultrasound for difficult access to boost success rates and reduce attempts.
Right device, right site: Choose the smallest appropriate catheter, site, and dwell time based on therapy goals and risk.
Vigilant surveillance: Check frequently for infiltration, extravasation, phlebitis, or infection; act early.
Family engagement: Explain plans and expectations; reduce anxiety with clear, compassionate communication.
Precision and prevention keep lines safe and effective.
How to Display IV Therapy Skills on Your Resume

7. Epic Systems
Epic Systems is a widely used electronic health record platform with neonatal workflows, flowsheets, decision support, and reporting tools that streamline documentation and care coordination.
Why It's Important
Real-time data, safer orders, and clearer communication reduce errors and accelerate team decisions—vital in the NICU’s fast tempo.
How to Improve Epic Systems Skills
Turn the software into a clinical ally:
Customize smart tools: Build neonatal SmartPhrases, order sets, and flowsheets to match unit protocols and reduce clicks.
Integrate devices: Enable seamless data flow from bedside monitors and ventilators to charts for accurate trending.
Train with purpose: Pursue targeted Epic education and super-user support; share tips in quick peer sessions.
Feedback loops: Report friction points and request build tweaks; small interface changes can save hours.
Leverage analytics: Use dashboards and reports to track outcomes, adherence, and quality metrics.
Configured well, Epic reduces noise and elevates clinical focus.
How to Display Epic Systems Skills on Your Resume

8. Oracle Health Millennium (formerly Cerner Millennium)
Oracle Health Millennium is an EHR platform used across inpatient settings, including NICUs, providing neonatal documentation, order management, device integration, and clinical decision support.
Why It's Important
It centralizes critical data, reduces transcription errors, and supports safer, faster care for newborns who can’t wait.
How to Improve Cerner Millennium Skills
Shape the system around neonatal realities:
Tune the interface: Configure neonatal views, favorites, and quick orders; align workflows with unit protocols.
Document smarter: Use neonatology-specific templates and smart text to capture essentials without clutter.
Connect devices: Enable reliable connectivity to monitors, ventilators, and pumps for accurate real-time charting.
Decision support: Turn on neonatal dosing guidance, growth charts, and alerts that add value—not alarm fatigue.
Ongoing training: Maintain super-user support and refreshers so new features and updates actually improve care.
Thoughtful build and consistent training transform efficiency at the bedside.
How to Display Cerner Millennium Skills on Your Resume

9. Developmental Support
Developmental support means crafting care that protects and nurtures the newborn brain and senses—minimizing stress, supporting sleep, and promoting parent–infant connection.
Why It's Important
Neuroprotective care today shapes tomorrow’s milestones. Less stress, better sleep, and strong bonding translate into improved cognitive and motor outcomes.
How to Improve Developmental Support Skills
Make the environment and routines work for the infant:
Family-first: Promote kangaroo care, teach soothing techniques, and invite parents into daily care.
Individualize: Follow infant cues; cluster care, dim lights, and control noise. Protect sleep like a vital sign.
Optimize the space: Use cycled lighting, sound dampening, and positioning aids; avoid unnecessary handling.
Breastfeeding support: Integrate lactation expertise early; align pumping and feeding plans to infant readiness.
Team expertise: Collaborate with OT/PT/SLP for positioning, oral-motor readiness, and sensory supports.
Keep current: Refresh knowledge in neurodevelopmental care and embed new evidence into practice.
Small environmental tweaks, repeated daily, change developmental arcs.
How to Display Developmental Support Skills on Your Resume

10. Lactation Consulting
Lactation consulting guides families through breastfeeding—assessing latch, supply, positioning, and maternal concerns—while shaping plans that fit the infant’s clinical status and the family’s goals.
Why It's Important
Human milk protects against infections and NEC, supports neurodevelopment, and strengthens bonding. Skilled support removes barriers fast.
How to Improve Lactation Consulting Skills
Blend expertise with accessibility:
Advance training: Pursue formal coursework and, when possible, IBCLC certification; keep up with evolving evidence.
Hands-on coaching: Offer bedside support, paced transitions to direct breastfeeding, and individualized pumping plans.
Culturally sensitive materials: Provide clear, multilingual education tailored to family needs.
Peer networks: Collaborate with lactation teams and community groups to extend support after discharge.
Telelactation options: Use virtual follow-up to troubleshoot early and sustain progress.
Feedback-driven care: Collect parent feedback to refine teaching and address common pain points.
Timely, empathetic support turns intention into sustained breastfeeding.
How to Display Lactation Consulting Skills on Your Resume

11. Infection Control
Infection control encompasses policies and practices designed to prevent transmission of pathogens in the NICU—protecting newborns whose immune defenses are still forming.
Why It's Important
Preventing infections saves lives, shortens stays, and preserves vital lines and lungs from avoidable harm.
How to Improve Infection Control Skills
Relentless consistency wins:
Hand hygiene: Clean in, clean out, every time. Audit and provide real-time feedback.
Aseptic technique: Standardize sterile procedures for line insertion and maintenance; use checklists.
Environmental cleaning: Ensure high-touch surfaces and shared equipment are disinfected on schedule with traceability.
Antibiotic stewardship: Use narrowest effective agents, reassess daily, and shorten durations when safe.
Screening and isolation: Apply cohorting and isolation when indicated; communicate status clearly.
Vaccination and PPE: Keep staff immunizations current; match PPE to exposure risk and train for correct donning/doffing.
Breast milk safety: Support safe handling and labeling; encourage maternal milk for its protective benefits.
Surveillance: Track CLABSI, VAP, and other HAIs through a standardized reporting system and act on trends.
When everyone owns the bundle, infection risk plummets.
How to Display Infection Control Skills on Your Resume

12. Pain Management
Pain management for neonates blends careful assessment with pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies to reduce stress and support healing.
Why It's Important
Untreated pain disrupts physiology and can affect neurodevelopment. Thoughtful management stabilizes infants and improves short- and long-term outcomes.
How to Improve Pain Management Skills
Assess well, treat wisely, reassess quickly:
Use validated tools: Employ neonatal scales such as N-PASS or PIPP-R and document responses over time.
Nonpharmacologic first: Swaddling, facilitated tucking, sucrose for procedures, skin-to-skin, and minimized stimulation.
Medications with care: Dose by weight and maturity; follow current neonatal guidance for acetaminophen, local anesthetics, and opioids when indicated.
Procedural planning: Bundle care, use topical anesthetics when appropriate, and prepare families for what to expect.
Policy and education: Maintain unit guidelines, educate staff regularly, and review cases to fine-tune practice.
Comfort is not a luxury in the NICU—it’s core therapy.
How to Display Pain Management Skills on Your Resume

