 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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