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.Clinical service months are typically scheduled as 3 month (1st year), 2 month (2nd year), and 1+1 months (3rd year). Additional months may be added if a 4th year of training is requested (eg, for research).

The 1+1 months refers to 1 month as the first-call Clinical fellow and 1 month as the acting or pre-Attending Physician (aka: Pretending). During the Pretending month, the fellow functions in the role of acting Attending Neonatologists, under faculty supervision. This provides a unique opportunity to experience the various roles of the Attending Neonatologists prior to graduation, and has been a valued part of the fellowship training program at UCSF for many years.

Finally, 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:

  1. 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.
  2. When on back-up call, the Fellow participates in ICN coverage on weeknights and weekends.
  3. 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.
  4. Transport call consists of six (6) 24-hour shifts on call during the first year and six (6) such shifts in the second year. Neonatology Fellows are involved in the triage, coordination, logistical support and transport of infants aged ≤3 months. Transports occurs by either ground or fixed-wing aircraft, servicing a Network that covers much of Northern California, from the Central Valley to the Oregon border.