The 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 counselling.
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. 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 phototherapy.
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 subspecialists 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).
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