The goal of the course is to introduce the student to the principles of newborn health care through a structured clinical experience as a subintern in the regional neonatal intensive care unit at Oishei Children’s Hospital.

The student, under constant supervision of Neonatology faculty and fellows, and senior pediatric residents, will function as the primary house staff assigned to a limited number of newborn patients admitted to the NICU.

The student will participate in a team approach to the evaluation, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions of new admissions and with the team develop a differential diagnosis and plan of care. Continuing care of these high-risk neonatal patients will include ongoing assessments, nutritional, diagnostic and therapeutic management, discharge planning, communication with parents, consulting and primary care physicians and the entire neonatal health care team.

The student will participate in daily attending teaching rounds and attend high-risk deliveries. The subintern will also attend the monthly perinatology, neonatal pathology and neonatal ethics conferences. It is anticipated that the subintern will take call with a neonatal fellow and resident or nurse practitioner every fourth night during the rotation.

The student will become proficient in physical examinations of premature and term high-risk infants and become knowledgeable of the clinical presentation and pathophysiology of common neonatal diseases. A major emphasis is for the student to be able to apply principles of critical care, including drug therapy, nutrition support, fluid and electrolyte therapy and respiratory support, in a team setting. Special skills such as neonatal resuscitation, endotracheal intubation and umbilical vessel catheterization will be acquired if experiences permit.

Prerequisite: MS4

Modules: A-K 

Number of students: 1

Course Instructors: Anne Marie Reynolds, MD; and neonatology attending faculty

Course Coordinator: Sue Quirk