To qualify for the Lead or Support Instructor role, you must work in a unit that can provide short-term mechanical ventilation for a brief duration (< 24 hours) or continuous positive airway pressure, or both.
Lead Instructor
Description and Responsibilities
Responsible for ensuring the integrity and quality of the Learner course and for submitting the on-line roster to recognize student involvement in Learner courses. Must be considered an expert in neonatal nursing or medicine. Please note: respiratory therapists with advanced neonatal knowledge, especially those involved with neonatal transport, may also qualify for the Lead Instructor role.
Minimal Work Experience
Must have at least two years equivalent (≥ 4000 hours) of recent – within five years – Level II special care nursery and/or Level III or Level IV* Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience (see descriptions below). A Level III or Level IV NICU work environment is preferred for the Lead Instructor.
Knowledge and Expertise
Understands, and can teach, the content found in all of the S.T.A.B.L.E. Program modules at an advanced level. This content includes:Principles of hypoglycemia (causes and treatment), safe use of umbilical catheters, thermoregulation and physiologic consequences of hypothermia, neonatal chest x-ray interpretation, blood gas interpretation, neonatal respiratory diseases, pulmonary hypertension and shunting, use of assisted ventilation, resuscitation, assessment and treatment of shock, presentation and treatment of infection, CBC (complete blood count) interpretation, and offering emotional support to families in the newborn ICU.
Instructor Course Attendance and Teaching Requirements
Candidates must attend a National or Private Instructor course taught by certified S.T.A.B.L.E. faculty. To renew, the instructor must participate in teaching the course a minimum of two times in the 2 year cycle as shown by the dates on their instructor card. The Instructor’s participation is tracked by the on-line roster program. If the requirements are met, then the renewing instructor will receive a renewal email one month prior to the expiration date on their card.
Support Instructor
Description and Responsibilities
The Support Instructor may teach in collaboration with a Lead Instructor, but may not teach independently of a Registered Lead Instructor.
Minimal Work Experience
Must have at least one year equivalent (≥ 2000 hours) of recent – within five years – level II SCN or level III or IV NICU experience (see descriptions below)
Knowledge and Expertise
The Candidate is familiar with the material in one or more of the S.T.A.B.L.E. program modules as outlined above under Lead Instructor.
Instructor Course Attendance and Teaching Requirements
Support instructors may either attend a National Course or be oriented to the program by an experienced registered Lead instructor as outlined in the Support Instructor Preparation and Registration guidelines on the S.T.A.B.L.E. website under the Instructor tab. To renew, the instructor must participate in teaching the course a minimum of two times in the 2 year cycle as shown by the dates on their instructor card. The Instructor’s participation is tracked by the on-line roster program. If the requirements are met, then the renewing instructor will receive a renewal email one month prior to the expiration date on their card.*For NICU Level designations: II, III and IV (2, 3 and 4) as defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics, see: Stark AR, Pursley DWM, Papile LA, et al. Standards for Levels of Neonatal Care: II, III, and IV. Pediatrics. 2023;151(6): e2023061957
- Specialty Care / Level II Special Care Nursery Provides care to infants ≥ 32 weeks gestation and weighing ≥ 1500 grams who are mildly to moderately ill with conditions that are expected to resolve rapidly, and are not anticipated to need subspecialty services on an urgent basis. Can provide continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and can provide up to 24 hours of conventional mechanical ventilation for conditions expected to resolve rapidly or until transport is achieved.
- Subspecialty Care / Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Provides comprehensive care for infants born at all gestational ages with mild to complex critical conditions that require advanced life support. Able to provide a full range of respiratory support that may include conventional and high-frequency ventilation and administration of inhaled nitric oxide. Can provide therapeutic hypothermia for treatment of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Skilled in the care of neonates with umbilical catheters and intravenous lines including central lines.
- Subspecialty Care / Level IV NICU Level III plus has the capacity to provide surgical repair of complex congenital or acquired conditions. Has ability to provide ECMO. Has a broad range of subspecialists (medical, surgical, anesthesia) on site. Facilitates transport and provides outreach to lower-level facilities.