Special Care Nursery

Location

Rush

# Weeks

2, 4

Hours/week on site

31-40, 41-50

Open to M3s?

yes

Scheduled through OASIS?

yes

On Rush schedule?

yes

# other students

0

Prerequisites

pediatrics, but it helps to have also had ob/gyn and surgery

Interviewing/Step 2 flexibility

?

Overnight call?

not required, but possible

Work weekends?

no

Weekend call?

no

Is there an exam at the end of the rotation

no

Students required to give a presentation

yes

Teaching hours/day

1-3

Teaching style

Patient rounds, Morning report/Case conference, Student presentations

Suggested reading/pocket contents

The Lange neonatology handbook is really good. One of my mentors suggests just reading UTD though and not spending the money on Lange

Read the SCN guidebook that the residents have (I think it is online somewhere or you can copy theirs) Also read any handouts the dieticians give you, they are your best friends!

Structure of rotation

One-on-one with attendings/residents, Team-based

Amt/quality of time residents/attendings

Each morning I would pre-round, then round with the senior resident, and we would talk, then we would round with the intensive care attending and then the intermediate care attending. During rounds we would talk about disease pathophysiology and diagnostic/treatment options and the literature behind the decisions we made.

Spend most of day with residents

Proportion of time evaluating pts alone

75-100%

# pts evaluated/day

2-4

Procedures

Once a week, A few times/week

Typical day

Pre-round on my babies, then meet up with the resident and talk about them at about 7, then the team would round with intensive care attending, and then round with intermediate care attending. After rounds, I would meet with nutritionist to discuss HAL and put in orders for the day and write my notes. Interspersed throughout the day, we would go to deliveries, and work on the coding babies. I would help work up the new babies - putting in umbilical lines and drawing blood. The afternoon has more down time, sign-out is at 4pm, at which time you go home. I took call once a week with a PGY2.

Arrive at 7, print out sign out sheets, fill out info from neonates and labs, see patients and formulate plan with resident, morning report 8-9, rounds with 2 different attendings 9-11or 12, then finish notes and write orders until noon conference from 12-1.  In the afternoon you deal with any of your babies’ issues or new babies and then sign out is at 4.  (At any time during the day you can get called to a delivery or c-section, sometimes several a day!)  I did not take call, but you can, depending on your team.

Usefulness for any residency

3 of 5 stars

Usefulness for this residency

5 of 5 stars

Useful for other specialties

I think it is especially helpful for those interested in critical care - this is a really special population, and also for anyone going into peds and ob/gyn.

You will have to do the NICU during your residency and it is a whole separate world, so it is good to be exposed to it.  Also you learn a lot about normal development and nutrition of premies and full term infants.

Overall rating

4-5 of 5 stars

Recommended to other students

4 of 5 stars

Other comments

It is important to appreciate that the SCN is its own little world, and the parents are extremely stressed. Dr. Meier gave me excellent advice: for each patient, you have two, the baby and the parent(s). The neonatal nurse practitioners have a lot of knowledge and are very nice.

This can be an intense rotation, and most of the residents hate it, but you do learn a lot and it is very valuable regardless of whether or not you want to go into neonatology. (I don't and I liked it)  Also be nice to the nurse practitioners - they can be a lot of help!