12186 (204) Is Now the Time to Pursue Your Professional Growth in Developmental Care?
Jacqueline McGrath, PhD RN FNAP FAAN

Abstract
The Neonatal Developmental Care Specialist Designation is a NEW avenue for neonatal nurses to demonstrate expertise. The Designation is a replacement for the Advanced Competency in Developmental Care and is designed to recognize and advance excellence at the bedside. The Designation was developed out of a belief that excellent neonatal nursing care is rooted in a foundation of family-centered developmentally supportive caregiving. Since collaboration among caregivers is needed for full integration of developmental caregiving the competency is applicable to all neonatal caregivers. Applicants are required to have two years of neonatal caregiver experience. A computer-based interactive assessment is completed as a demonstration of acquisition of these developmental decision-making and critical thinking activities. More than 60% of the testing is scenario-based; an infant/family scenario is presented and the applicant is asked to explain how a developmentally sensitive caregiver would provide care. Nurses, Advanced Practice Nurses and interdisciplinary partners in the NICU who use this expert knowledge and integrate it into their everyday collaborative caregiving interactions with infants, families, and every member of the caregiving team have the beginning skills to complete the assessment and successfully obtain the designation. Credentialing in your specialty is recognized as important for MAGNET status and the Neonatal Developmental Care Specialist Designation is an appropriate mechanism to demonstrate advanced knowledge and commitment to expert neonatal caregiving. Several examples will be provided for successful completion of the Neonatal Developmental Care Specialist Designation.

Learning Objectives
1. Explain how family-centered developmental care can be intergrated into routine practice.
2. Identify three avenues to further developmental care knowledge and practice.
3. Describe how the new NANN designation demonstates excellence in developmental care.