Closing the Gap on Neonatal Care Education for EMS Providers

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) have moved their learning platform to a new site called Pediaskills. Beyond the well-known Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), the AAP now offers expanded courses, including NICU care, newborn cardiac care, and a new course called “Neonatal Care for Prehospital Professionals.” The previous NRP Learning Platform will automatically redirect users to Pediaskills, and your existing Global ID and password remain valid.

We asked our colleagues at Midwives Untethered, Julie Moon and Olgan Ryan, to review the new “Neonatal Care for Prehospital Professionals” course:

We have been eagerly anticipating this course since it was first announced. While it is not a substitute for formal neonatal resuscitation training, the medical directors who developed it recognized that making neonatal resuscitation a core competency for EMS providers is not sustainable for most agencies. This course is designed to address that important gap in prehospital care.

What we appreciate!

1. It is intended for EMS professionals.  
2. The course is well-constructed as an accessible online training option, covering essential care considerations for newborns. It highlights the importance of warmth, delayed cord clamping, skin-to-skin contact, and clearly explains the differences between NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program) and PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support).
3. The course recognizes midwives and birth centers as experts in pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and newborn care, and highlights their vital role on the care team.
4. This training serves as a valuable resource for birth center leaders and midwives who are educating their local EMS agencies or personnel.
5. At $25 per individual (with group purchasing options), the course is generally affordable.

Julie and Olga offer constructive feedback that the AAP’s stance and language on midwifery and birth centers in this course could be improved—particularly regarding the marginalization of Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) colleagues. We appreciate that organizations like AABC and CABC continue to engage in dialogue with the AAP to foster stronger partnerships across their programs.

A final note: For those training reception staff or housekeepers in emergency drills, this course may be a more appropriate alternative to requiring them to take the NRP “Essentials” course. Including ancillary non-clinical staff in training has proven beneficial—these team members appreciate the professional development opportunity and actively participate. This course may also be shared with high school students or new learners who are not yet ready for NRP training.