The first graduates of the College of Nursing’s neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) program are now working in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) in several locations around the state, including Grand Rapids, Flint, Traverse City, and Marquette.  The College’s NNP program, the only one in Michigan, began in the 2003-2004 academic year with a distance learning component in 2006-2007.  In areas such as Marquette and Traverse City, which previously lacked NNPs, the Wayne graduates make a real difference in the accessibility and quality of care for small, fragile infants. A grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) covers some costs for the distance learning component of the NNP program.  

 

At Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, the NNPs provide 24-hour daily coverage for the hospital’s Level 3 NICU; previously community pediatricians would take night calls for the NICU.  According to David S. Sciamanna, D.O., a neonatologist at Munson, the nurse practitioners serve on the hospital’s community transport team, which travels to community hospitals to pick up fragile infants who need care at the Munson NICU.  Since Munson now operates the only NICU north of Grand Rapids in the Lower Peninsula, Munson’s NICU patients come from a large geographic area spanning the width of the state.  

 

At Munson’s NICU, the NNPs perform intubations, insert PICC lines and resuscitate patients. “The NNPs have improved our follow-up with patients after discharge.  The infection rate is lower and more patients are being breast-fed at discharge. We have better outcomes for our smaller babies,” commented Dr. Sciamanna.  In addition, the NNPs assist with educational programs for other nurses and have started a journal club at the hospital. They also help compile outcomes data for State of Michigan and other data bases.  The Munson NICU has 12 critical-care beds and 8 step-down beds.  

 

Cheryl Vorpagel, RN, MSN, NNP, a graduate of the Wayne State program, began working at Munson in 2010.  “The neonatologists are very supportive.   There is always an NNP here at night,” she said.

 

Currently the distance learning component of the NNP program has sites in Marquette, Flint, Traverse City, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo, which enable nurses to pursue advanced specialty studies without disrupting their work and family life.  NNP students access classes in Detroit through a synchronous learning video conference platform at one of the partner sites or from their own computer using a network bridge created by the College’s IT staff.  Distance learning students spend at least one week on campus in Detroit for advanced nursing assessment and training in the College’s Simulation Laboratory.  The program requires six semesters on a full-time basis and ten semesters for students attending part-time. According to Leanne Nantais-Smith, PhD, NNP-BC, Graduate Program Director of the College’s NNP programs, some of the students from out-state areas are sponsored by the hospitals where they work through a reduced work load or assistance with tuition.