Curriculum
Trainees will be expected to gain an in-depth understanding of the basic/complex anatomy and physiology as well as common neonatal disorders. They will demonstrate their mastery of the material in forums which include observed bedside discussions with patients and families, management discussions with colleagues and junior learners during daily rounds, proposals and discussions of management strategies during multidisciplinary team meetings, sign-outs and weekly conferences.
The block schedule consists of 13 four-week rotations:
- Orientation (1 month)
- NICU Service - SJHMC (4 months)
- PCH (2 months)
- Research (6 months)
Trainees will be expected to undertake more advanced questions and highlight evidence-based reasoning for management decisions. Additionally, they will be expected to partake in the supervision of junior fellows.
One month will also be spent in the Cardiovascular ICU (CVICU) focusing on the care of neonates/infants with severe congenital cardiac defects.
The block schedule consists of 13 four-week rotations:
- NICU Service - SJHMC (4 months)
- PCH (1 month)
- CVICU (1 month)
- Research (7 months)
Trainees will be expected to demonstrate mastery of the anatomic and physiologic intricacies of neonatal diseases, as well as the ability to convey knowledge of this data effectively and respectfully in an audience-appropriate manner. Additionally, they will be expected to partake in the supervision of junior fellows.
Schedule allows flexibility for fellows to get additional exposure to experiences they feel would best facilitate their educational/clinical needs.
The block schedule consists of 13 four-week rotations:
- NICU Service - SJHMC (2 months)
- PCH (1 month)
- Research (9 months)
- Elective (1 month)
Clinical Training
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center (SJHMC): The program’s primary delivery hospital with a Level III NICU licensed for 70 beds with >4000 deliveries and >600 admission per year. It is the primary referral hospital for mothers cared for by the Center for Fetal and Neonatal Care. SJHMC contains a Small Baby Unit with dedicated protocols, nurses and care providers. It is the primary rotating site for pediatric residents and is also the site for the Creighton University Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency and Maternal-Fetal-Medicine Fellowship Programs.
Phoenix Children's Hospital (PCH): A Level IV referral NICU. Licensed for 61 beds with ~400 admissions per year. Approximately half of all admissions are surgical in nature. It is the primary neonatal ECMO center in Arizona with >10 ECMO and CRRT cases each per year. The NICU is a nationally recognized Neuro ICU and BPD Unit. Other areas of expertise are CDH, intestinal failure rehabilitation, neurocritical care and hemodynamics.
Didactics/Education
The Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship offers extensive didactic/education training that includes:
- A core didactic curriculum that teaches current concepts in fetal and neonatal medicine (consistent with current ABP Content Outline)
- Medical Statistics and QI curriculum
- ECMO curriculum
- POCUS curriculum with both a local and national training component
- Regular perinatal/fetal review meetings held jointly with OB, MFM, and PCH subspecialists
- PCH and NICU-specific Grand Rounds with international/national/local speakers
- Morbidity and Mortality conferences
- Regular Journal Club seminars with neonatal medicine and invited faculty
- Palliative Care conferences (joint with Palliative Care Medicine fellows)
Year | Rotation | Block (4 weeks) |
|---|---|---|
Year 1 | Orientation | 1 |
| NICU at PCH | 2 | |
| NICU at SJHMC | 4 | |
| Research | 6 (1 call free) | |
Year 2 | NICU at PCH | 1 |
| NICU at SJHMC | 4 | |
| CVICU | 1 (call free) | |
| Research | 7 (1 call free) | |
Year 3 | NICU at PCH | 1 |
| NICU at SJHMC | 2 | |
| Elective | 1 (call free) | |
| Research | 9 (1 call free) | |
Night Call | Call (including Research blocks) will average out to be ~1x/week | |