Maree, Catharina Magrieta (Carin)Lubbe, WelmaBarlow, HilaryDavidge, RuthPrullage, Geralyn SueScheepers, MarianaVan Heerden, Carlien2021-09-172021-04Maree, C., Lubbe, W., Barlow, H. et al. 2021, 'South African neonatal nurse specialization – is professional licensing justifiable?', Journal of Neonatal Nursing, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 69-76.1355-184110.1016/j.jnn.2020.08.004http://hdl.handle.net/2263/81890Neonatal nursing is currently not acknowledged as a clinical nurse specialization in the South African context. It is argued that neonatal nursing meets all criteria for designating nursing specialists as specified by the International Council of Nursing. A competency framework is proposed aligned with the country's qualification framework. Acknowledgement of neonatal nurses as clinical nurse specialists is expected to influence policy in education and clinical practice that in turn will influence neonatal care practices and outcomes for preterm and critically ill neonates and their families.en© 2020 Neonatal Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.. Notice : this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Neonatal Nursing. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Neonatal Nursing, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 69-76, 2020. doi : 10.1016/j.jnn.2020.08.004.Neonatal nursing specializationNeonatal nursing educationPostprint Article