Neonatal transport certification at MCG
Four nurses at the MCGHealth Children's Medical Center are the first in the nation to become certified by the National Certification Corporation in neonatal pediatric transport.
Neonatal Transport Nurses Linda Wise, Patty Parker and Deborah Wall and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Mary Lacey were among the 306 health care professionals, including nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, paramedics and physicians, who successfully completed the inaugural credentialing process for the subspecialty, to earn the prestigious new C-NPT certification.
"Families trust the Neonatal Transport Team at MCGHealth Children's Medical Center with their most precious cargo - their babies. Achieving this milestone demonstrates that our transport team will stop at nothing to maintain that trust," said Barbara Meeks, Vice President of Pediatric Patient Care Services for MCGHealth, which operates the region's only children's hospital. "The fact that our nurses are the first in the nation for this designation reinforces MCGHealth's leadership in providing quality pediatric care."
The C-NPT training program required participants to demonstrate competency in more than 10 specialized areas of neonatal pediatric transport, including:
Identifying life-threatening states and initiating appropriate
interventions.
Formulating and implementing a plan of care in collaboration
with physicians and other health care professionals.
Evaluating benefits and risks of diagnostic and therapeutic
interventions.
Understanding the impact of transport physiology on both the
neonatal/pediatric patient population and the accompanying transport
team members.
Applying safety principles of transport as applicable to both
the neonatal/pediatric patient population and the accompanying transport
members. Recognizing the psychosocial aspects of pediatric/neonatal
transport and potential impact on the family.
To maintain the C-NPT credential, the nurses must retest every three
years or earn a minimum of 15 continuing education hours in the Neonatal
Pediatric Transport specialty.