Clinical Training | Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship | Academic Programs | Department of Pediatrics | UC Davis Health

Our training program offers at least 12 months of experience in the NICU. Fellows' supervised responsibilities include counseling of high-risk families on the obstetrical service, evaluation and stabilization of newly admitted infants and ongoing care of those on the clinical service. Fellows coordinate the performance of needed procedures and consultations with subspecialty services. They participate in the preparation for patient discharge and long-term care. Fellows are responsible for mentoring and supervising the work of residents and medical students.

Time on service is generally spent in the NICU on the Red and Blue Teams. The teams are typically composed of an attending, a fellow, residents, medical students, and NNPs or hospitalists. Fellows spend one week on Blue Team and two weeks on Red Team. One fellow will cover both the Blue and Red Teams on the weekends. Fellow shifts are 6am-6pm while on daytime service.

Night calls have been consolidated into night shifts to improve continuity of care and scholarly time management. The night fellow works with an attending, a resident, and/or nurse practitioner to provide care to infants on both the Red and Blue Teams. Fellows spend several days at a time on night service to aid with continuity.

Fellows attend a weekly Pediatric Cardiology/Cardiothoracic Surgery Conference where pre- and post-operative management of current patients is discussed. Weekly Fetal Treatment Team meetings provide additional exposure to infants with prenatally diagnosed congenital heart disease. Fellows also participate in the prenatal counseling of families diagnosed with fetal heart disease. Fellows also attend monthly didactic sessions with the cardiothoracic surgeons to review pre- and post-operative management of congenital heart disease. Additional opportunities to attend fetal echocardiography clinic and PCICU rounds are also available.

Neonatal fellows participate in the Fetal Care and Treatment Center for one week each year. Additional exposure to MFM is provided through the weekly Fetal Treatment Team meetings and MFM/NICU Joint Conferences.

Fellows attend approximately 2 half-day clinics per month at the MIND Institute where high-risk ICN graduates undergo medical and psychometric evaluation and are referred to appropriate services when needed.

Fellows are on Jeopardy call approximately once every 6th week throughout their training. The Jeopardy fellow is responsible for covering in the event of illness or other fellow absence.