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NANN-AP Corner

Leanne Nantais-Smith

Leanne Nantais-Smith, PhD RN NNP-BC FAANP
NANN-AP Council Chair

Welcome NANN-AP Council members as we start our 2024-2025 year! First and foremost, thank you to Barbara Snapp for her leadership as Chair of the NANN-AP Council for the last two years. I am grateful for her dedicated service to the Council, her mentorship as I start my tenure as Chair, and her continued support as immediate past Chair of the Council for the next year.

A sincere thank you to Council members who have completed their service for their experience and insight into achieving NANN-AP Council goals. Welcome to all continuing and new Council members as we prioritize our goals for the next two years.

In addition to the regular work of the Council in meeting our strategic goals, members are busy serving as liaisons representing neonatal APRNs on committees and organizations involved in APRN practice, education, policy, and advocacy. We have liaisons on the NANN Annual Conference, Education Strategic Coordinating Committee, APRN Awards, Health Policy and Advocacy, and Research Committees. Leann Baker Chaired the APRN Summit Task Force for our first all-day APRN summit at the NANN 40th Annual Conference in Orlando. It was a great summit; kudos to Leann and her team. We also have liaisons representing neonatal APRNs on the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), the National Task Force for Quality Nurse Practitioner Education (NTF), and the Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education (LACE) Network. We have a new partnership with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and now bring an important neonatal voice to this national professional organization for NPs of all specialties.  

NANN-AP goals 2024-2026:

  1. Early in 2024, we entered a partnership with the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners (AAENP) to offer an education module specific to evidence-based care of the late preterm infant.  The module is now in final preparation and will be on the agenda for Council approval and release in the very near future.   
  2. We will continue the APRNs You Should Know program to publicly recognize the phenomenal achievements of our neonatal NP and CNS colleagues. Recognize a colleague by sending their name, contact information, and a paragraph about their achievements to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
  3. Council members will continue to reach out personally to new APRN members, encourage them to actively participate in volunteer activities, and provide input on neonatal APRN issues and initiatives.
  4. We approved our first Action Plan to accompany the Position Statement entitled The Impact of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses’ Shift Length and Fatigue on Patient Safety (#3076). The purpose of the Action Plan is to provide actionable steps to facilitate implementation of position statement recommendations into the practice site.  
  5. In response to many requests from neonatal NPs and CNSs, our first approved priority for this year is a NANN-AP Position Paper on NNP work hours/patient load and working environment. We are currently defining the scope and content of this position statement and will work on a Call for Authors. 

Stay tuned to NANN-AP Corner for news about future initiatives and how you can become involved in the work of the NANN-AP community.