NRP General Information

NRP General Overview

NRP General Facts

Target Audience The NRP curriculum is designed for health care professionals who are involved in any aspect of newborn resuscitation. This includes physicians, nurses, advanced practice nurses, certified nurse midwives, licensed midwives, respiratory therapists and other health care professionals who provide direct care during neonatal resuscitation.

Reach of Program The NRP continues to meet the learning needs of Instructors and Providers through award-winning state-of-the-art interactive education in 130 countries. As of May 2019, over 4.2 million healthcare professionals have been trained or retrained in the United States. The NRP currently has approximately 20,000 active instructors. About 200,000 Providers complete the NRP Provider Course every year.

Course Materials Materials can be ordered via AAP by calling 800-433-9016 or online at https://shop.aap.org/nrp. For large bulk purchases, your LMS administrator should contact RQI Partners at 866-293-1034 or nrpsupport@rqipartners.com.

Canadian Orders Materials can be ordered through the Canadian Pediatric Society.

International Orders Anyone from outside the US or Canada can purchase materials through the AAP.

Visit Us: www.aap.org/nrp

How is the need for NRP justified?

The NRP is designed for those who participate in neonatal resuscitation in the delivery room and newborn nursery. The NRP courses are offered in community hospitals by NRP Instructors or are provided as a service to community hospitals by the Regional Outreach Education Program.

In many institutions the NRP is conducted to:

Improve the quality of neonatal resuscitation
Meet performance expectations or attain hospital privileges or credentialing for staff who attend births or care for newborns
Serve as a quality management strategy to improve the process and outcome of neonatal resuscitation
Meet regulatory agency requirements for evidence of an education program that supports competency-based practice of neonatal resuscitation

Although Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP) courses are appropriate for those who participate in resuscitations outside the delivery room, the NRP also may be useful to pre-hospital providers who desire in-depth training specific to neonatal resuscitation.

When ordering emergency epinephrine, why does the NRP express the dose as a mass (mg/kg) and a volume (mL/kg)?

Because this question has not been fully resolved, this program describes the dose using both mass (mg/kg) and volume (mL/kg) expressions. Each method has risks and benefits. If the dose is expressed using the mass method, the team member preparing the dose will need to convert milligrams to milliliters, and there is a risk of making a decimal point error. If the dose is expressed using the volume method, the provider preparing the dose does not have to convert between units, but there is a risk of giving a 10-times overdose if the provider accidently uses the concentrated (1 mg/mL) epinephrine solution. This medication error is preventable by ensuring that the dilute (0.1 mg/mL) solution of epinephrine is the ONLY concentration included in neonatal emergency supplies.

Whichever dosing method is used, the providers should use closed-loop communication, repeat back the intended dose, include the desired units and the baby’s estimated weight when ordering and preparing the dose, confirm the concentration of the epinephrine solution used by showing the box to another team member, and compare the prepared dose with a weight-based chart or table to ensure accuracy.

When should the guidelines from NRP to PALS be used?

There is currently no evidence to identify a specific age after birth when babies[JZ1] in the NICU should receive chest compressions following PALS guidelines. The two algorithms differ in approach. At birth and during the first weeks following birth, respiratory failure is still the cause of most cardiopulmonary arrest. In general, where differences exist between NRP and PALS recommendations, you should apply the NRP recommendations during the immediate newborn period and the initial hospitalization following birth.

How can information on PCEP (Perinatal Continuing Education Program) be obtained?

Who should I contact with questions about NRP?

Who is the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) Steering Committee?

The Neonatal Resuscitation Program Steering Committee (NRPSC) coordinates, develops and implements educational programs and materials that promote optimal care and resuscitation of newborns. It is the vision of the NRPSC to have every newborn in need of resuscitation effectively cared for by health care professionals. In support of this vision, the NRPSC develops and updates evidence-based practice guidelines and educational materials. The NRPSC collaborates with relevant stakeholders, including the Committee on Fetus & Newborn (COFN), Section on Perinatal Pediatrics, Section on Hospital Medicine, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS).

View current NRP Steering Committee members here.

How can a third party verify Provider and Instructor status?

If there is a course being offered entirely online, is this a valid NRP course?

The American Academy of Pediatrics has been advised that there are entities offering NRP "certification" or "verification" cards through online courses.

Please be advised that these entities are not affiliated, associated with, or connected to AAP and they have no authority from AAP or the American Heart Association to make this use of NRP or to issue cards.

The cards issued by these entities are not official AAP/AHA NRP Course Completion cards.

How can an NRP medical inquiry/question be submitted?

Where are the Neonatal Resuscitation 2020 AHA Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care accessed electronically?

Global NRP

What is Helping Babies Survive?

Helping Babies Survive (HBS) is a suite of evidence-based educational training programs designed to reduce neonatal mortality and improve newborn care in resource-limited environments. HBS is an initiative of the AAP, developed in collaboration with WHO, and supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Save the Children, Latter-day Saint Charities, Laerdal Global Health, Johnson & Johnson, and a number of other global health partners. HBS is comprised of the following programs: Helping Babies Breathe (HBB), Essential Care for Every Baby (ECEB), Essential Care for Small Babies (ECSB) and Improving Care for Mothers and Babies: A guide for improvement teams. Since 2010, HBS programs have provided more than 400,000 health care providers in 80 countries with the knowledge and skills to ensure newborns receive the care they need survive and thrive.

Please visit HBS website for more information.

How can NRP education be taught in resource limited areas (outside the United States)?

The American Academy of Pediatrics is committed to improving neonatal outcomes around the world. We have partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO), US Agency for International Development, Saving Newborn Lives, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and a number of other global health organizations to create “Helping Babies Survive." This innovative program will train individuals in resource-limited countries to resuscitate newborns.

Please visit the HBS website for more information.

What is the difference between HBB and NRP?

The HBB program was specifically designed to meet the needs of resource limited environments; therefore, NRP certification does not qualify a person to teach HBB. You may find that having a background in NRP will give you an interesting perspective on HBB. However, NRP training should not be considered an acceptable substitution in lieu of HBB training. These two programs are different in a number of ways. While both HBB and NRP are based on the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation(ILCOR) guidelines, they are designed for vastly different care environments,especially with respect to resources. The HBB curriculum is designed for environments where human and technical resources are limited. More importantly, the HBB and NRP curriculums are not the same – HBB utilizes a different educational methodology and the training is comprised of unique mentorship and quality improvement components necessary to adequately equip North American trainers with the skills and knowledge to successfully teach HBB in low-resource settings around the world. Visit the HBS website to learn more.

Can the NRP Provider Curriculum be accessed outside of the USA?