West Coast NIDCAP & APIB Training Center

A key focus of the West Coast NIDCAP & APIB Training Center at the University of California San Francisco, Neonatology Department is the educational and consultative support to NICUs and special care nursery settings. Through training at this Center, nursery professionals can work towards effective delivery of intensive and special care in a neuro-developmentally supportive, individualized, and family-centered framework. The challenge confronting NICU healthcare professionals, is not only to assure the infants' survival, but to optimize their developmental course and outcome. Effective developmental care implementation on a nursery-wide basis is the goal of all training and consultation provided by the trainers at this Center.

NIDCAP Training

The Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) developed by Heidelise Als PhD and her colleagues is a comprehensive approach to care that is individualized to the infant’s goals and levels of stability. The NIDCAP model, which includes direct observation of the infants within their NICU environments, interprets the infant’s behaviors as steady and relaxed or as representing stress or discomfort. The NIDCAP approach to care requires in-depth training by a certified NIDCAP Professional. Persons eligible are professionals associated with the NICU and are approved for training by their nursery management. Training is currently available from 21 international NIDCAP training centers (10 US, 10 Europe and 1 in South America) including the Center at UCSF.

APIB Training (Assessment of Preterm Infants’ Behavior)

The Assessment of Preterm Infants' Behavior (APIB) is a comprehensive and systematic neurobehavioral assessment of preterm and fullterm newborns also developed by H. Als, PhD. The APIB provides further refinement of the identification of infants' self-regulatory efforts and thresholds to disorganization, as viewed through aspects of the infant's behaviors. The APIB is a “hands-on” assessment which determines levels of organization of autonomic, motor, state and regulatory systems.

To Contact Us:

Kathleen VandenBerg, PhD
Center Director/NIDCAP Master Trainer