Clinical Conferences

Several clinical conferences designed for all Neonatology Fellows and faculty are scheduled at various times as described below:

Perinatal Conference (weekly) is held jointly with the Obstetrical and Obstetrical Anesthesia Services.  Upcoming high risk cases as well as a review of interesting cases of the past week are discussed.

Fetal Therapy Conference (weekly) is held jointly with Pediatric Surgery, Perinatology, Diagnostic Ultrasound, MRI and Pediatric Cardiology.  Cases discussed include patients referred to the Fetal Treatment Program from throughout the United States as well as follow-up of those patients who have undergone fetal operative procedures.

Teaching Conferences (biweekly) are devoted to a selected curriculum of perinatal and neonatal subjects.  These are presented by faculty from the Neonatology Division as well as other divisions in Pediatrics and other departments at UCSF.

Fellows Rounds (weekly) are held in the ICN.  The Fellow on service presents particularly interesting cases to the other Fellows and to the faculty for discussion.

ICN Mortality Conference (monthly) is a review of all deaths during the preceding month and is a joint conference with Pediatric Pathology.

Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality Conference (monthly) is a joint conference with the Obstetrical Service and Pediatric Pathology and includes a review of the perinatal statistics of the previous month as well as a detailed discussion of a particularly interesting case.

Transport Conference (bimonthly) is a review of morbidity and mortality and also includes a didactic teaching session.  It is held jointly with the Division of Pediatric Critical Care.

Neonatology Journal Club (monthly) involves review and discussion of selected articles by a Fellow.  Each Fellow is responsible for presenting at one Journal Club per year.

Other conferences which are primarily for physicians on clinical service include Radiology Rounds (three times a week), Social Service Rounds (weekly), and House Staff Teaching Conferences (weekly).  Second year Fellows present neonatology subjects at this last conference.

Clinical Rotation.  During the course of the three or four year training program, each Fellow participates in up to eight months of full-time clinical work (total over 3-4 years) as the first-call Clinical Fellow in the ICN.  In addition, during the third year a Fellow may be asked to spend one month as acting Attending Physician on one of the clinical services in the ICN.  Each Fellow also does up to eight months (total over 3-4 years) as the back-up Fellow and is required to do Transport Call.  These obligations are described below:

(a) As first-call Clinical Fellow in the ICN, the Fellow has supervisory responsibility (under direction of the Attending Neonatologist) for patient care and participates in the teaching of housestaff and medical students.  In addition, the Fellow interacts on a daily basis with the Obstetrical staff, participates in decisions regarding management of high risk pregnancies, plans for and supervises resuscitations of high risk infants, and may consult with referring physicians regarding transport of infants from other hospitals to the ICN.

(b) When on back-up call, the Fellow participates in ICN coverage on weeknights and weekends.

(c) There is a Fellow in house every night.  When on first-call or back-up call, a Fellow spends approximately eight nights a month in house.

(d) Transport call consists of ten 24-hour shifts on call during the first year and seven such shifts in the second year.  Neonatology Fellows are only responsible for transport of infants aged ≤3 months.