About Our Program
Clinical Experience
The babies in our unit are typically divided into 4 teams. These teams each have a unique structure and make-up. Fellows will rotate through all teams with increasing independence throughout their fellowship experience.
- Red Team: Our “small baby team” composed of an attending and two neonatal nurse practitioners. Residents occasionally rotate on this team as an elective after completing their three required rotations in the NICU.
- Blue Team: A mix of intensive and intermediate care infants with a variety of medical conditions including major congenital heart lesions, congenital diaphragmatic hernias, or pulmonary hypertension. Composition of the team includes an attending, a resident, and a neonatal nurse practitioner.
- Green team: This team is a mix of intensive and intermediate care infants. The team is composed of an attending and two residents.
- White team: This team takes care of prenatal consults and primarily intermediate care infants or infants transitioning to home staffed by a neonatologist +/- a resident.
We have 3 dietitians and a pharmacist that round with the teams as well and are always available for questions.
During a typical day on-service:
- Transition of Care from on-call fellow: 8am
- Rounding: 8:30-12:00 pm
- Conference: 12-1 pm
- Afternoons involve updating parents, attending deliveries, performing procedures, and managing new admissions.
- Transition of Care to the on-call fellow or attending: 4 pm
Research Experience
The research focus of our division falls into the areas of quality improvement, educational/simulation based, or clinical. We have a variety of projects currently underway. We are a member of the Vermont-Oxford Network (VON) Collaborative as well and conduct several QI projects through this network. Some of our current research and quality improvement projects include:
- Standardized screening, diagnostic and treatment guidelines for reducing the overall fracture rate secondary to osteopenia of prematurity in the NICU – quality improvement project
- Effectiveness of a flipped classroom format on resident knowledge during Neonatal Intensive Care rotation – research project
- Virtual reality simulation training for neonatal procedures – research project
- The utility of rapid whole genome sequencing in the NICU: a pilot study – research project
- Reducing central line bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in the NICU – quality improvement project
- Urinary biomarkers of renal injury in neonates born to mothers with preeclampsia: a pilot study – quality improvement project
- Improving growth and nutrition in the NICU – quality improvement project through Vermont Oxford Network
- Improving outcomes of infants < 30 weeks gestational age – quality improvement project
- Improving transitions in the NICU – quality improvement project through Vermont Oxford Network
Fellowship Curriculum
Our fellowship curriculum is designed to prepare you for life as an academic neonatologist or a neonatologist in private practice. You will have ample time taking care of extremely premature infants, complex congenital diseases, attending deliveries, and mastering the necessary procedures. You will gain expertise in rounding and teaching residents as well as working alongside neonatal nurse practitioners. Additionally, with over 40 subspecialties represented at our institution, you will have the opportunity to participate in electives which further your interests and your career goals.
- During your 3 years of fellowship, you will complete 1 month orientation, 15 months NICU rotations, 4 months of chosen electives, and 16 months research
- In addition to your scheduled rotations, you will attend on average 8 half-day sessions/year of our NICU follow-up clinic which is staffed by a neonatologist and a physical therapist.
Didactic Lectures
Our didactic curriculum is designed to give you a thorough knowledge of development and physiology that you will need to take care of patients as well as eventually pass your boards. Fellows have 3 hours of protected time each week for these lectures and the breakdown on topics is as follows:
- Journal club- monthly
- Quality Improvement conference – monthly
- Neonatal Grand Rounds – monthly
- Case-based morning report – twice weekly, presented by fellows
- Fellows conference – weekly, this will include a variety of topics including neonatology basics, board review, and research presentations
- Neonatal ECMO conference – 6 times/year
- M&M – monthly
- Pathology conference – quarterly
- Palliative care/Ethics conference – quarterly