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Newborn intensive care unit - staff; Neonatal intensive care unit - staff
Information
This article discusses the primary team of caregivers that are involved in the care of your infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The staff often includes the following:
ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONAL
This health care provider is a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant who functions similar to a resident doctor under the supervision of a neonatologist.
ATTENDING DOCTOR (NEONATOLOGIST)
The attending doctor is the main doctor responsible for the care of your baby. The attending doctor has completed fellowship training in neonatology and residency training in pediatrics. This doctor, called a neonatologist, is a pediatrician with special training in caring for babies that are sick and require intensive care after birth. At times, the neonatologist might consult with other specialists to help with your baby's care. Although there are many different people involved in your baby's care while in the NICU, it is the neonatologist who determines and coordinates the daily plan of care.
NEONATOLOGY FELLOW
A neonatology fellow is a doctor who has completed a residency in general pediatrics and is now training in the subspecialty of neonatology.
Review Date: 12/18/2009
Reviewed By: Kimberly G Lee, MD, MSc, IBCLC, Associate Professor of Pediatrics,
Division of Neonatology, Medical University of South Carolina,
Charleston, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also
reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
