Who are all these people?Who are all these people?Many professionals work together to care for preemie babies. You may meet some or all of the following:
Neonatologist: a pediatrician who has had special training in newborn intensive care.
Neonatal Fellow: a pediatrician who is currently getting special training in newborn intensive care, a future neonatologist.
Resident: a doctor who is receiving additional training to be a pediatrician or some other specialist.
Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner: a trained professional (non-MD) who has received additional training in newborn intensive care so s/he can perform many of the same tasks as doctors.
Clinical Nurse Specialist: a nurse with additional training and responsibilities for patient and nurse education.
Primary Nurse: the nurse who will most frequently take care of your baby, develop your baby's nursing care plan, and teach you to care for him/her.
Social Worker: the person who will help you with non-medical issues, such as where to stay, insurance, transportation etc. S/he also provides emotional support and counseling.
Perinatal Pharmacist: a pharmacist with special expertise in drugs for babies.
Respiratory Therapist: a person with special training for care and management of oxygen, breathing machines, etc.
Occupational Therapist: a person with special training in infant development and oral motor or feeding problems. You may encounter this person either in the nursery or in a follow-up clinic.
Physical Therapist: a person with special training in assessing and helping muscle tone and movement problems in babies. You may encounter this person either in the nursery or in a follow-up clinic.
Speech and Language Specialist: a person with special training in feeding problems like sucking and swallowing.
Audiologist: a person who specializes in hearing problems, testing for hearing loss and treating it.
Home Health Care Specialist: a person who helps coordinate any equipment or monitoring needs after discharge, such as home oxygen or home photo therapy.
Unit Clerk, Ward Clerk, Ward Secretary or Data Terminal Operator: individuals who transcribe orders, send blood tests to the laboratories, answer phones, etc.
Hospital Chaplain: a hospital-based religious support person.
Others: people who stock shelves, clean the nursery, obtain laboratory tests, take x-rays, and provide maintenance.
Your baby probably has one or two doctors and one or two nurses who are primarily responsible for his/her care. You may want to write down their names as they are the people with whom you will interact most frequently.
In addition, if your baby has a particular problem, another physician specialist may be called in. Common sub specialists and their area of expertise include:
Cardiologist -- Heart problems
Neurologist -- Brain and nervous system problems
Nephrologist -- Kidney (urine) problems
Gastroenterologist -- Intestinal problems and nutrition
Endocrinologist -- Glands and hormone problems
Hematologist -- Blood problems
Ophthalmologist -- Eye problems
If your baby has a surgical problem, your baby may need a surgeon and an anesthesiologist (puts baby to sleep during surgery).
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