Clinical experiences will take place predominantly at Sparrow Hospital in downtown Lansing. The Fellowship makes extensive use of the following Sparrow facilities:
| Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (RNICU) | The Sparrow Hospital Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a 35-bed unit (+ 12 new step-down beds), admits approximately 600 sick neonates each year. Approximately 85% of these admissions are inborn; the remaining 15% are transported from our referral centers throughout Mid-Michigan. Sparrow Hospital has ≈ 4000 annual deliveries. A full range of state-of-the-art ventilatory modalities is available in the NICU, including nitric oxide therapy, high-frequency ventilation, NAVA, etc. Pediatric Residents, NNPs, and Physician Assistants are fully integrated into the daily routine in the NICU. On‑Call Schedule: Every sixth night in‑house call in the Sparrow NICU, with an attending on call as back‑up from home. Approximately 12 follow-up clinics/year. |
| Developmental Assessment Clinic (DAC) | The DAC is a weekly clinic organized to provide coordinated follow‑up assessment and care for infants discharged from the NICU and considered to be at risk for residual handicap or developmental delay. Infants are followed for up to 3 years post-NICU discharge. In-depth assessment is provided by neonatologists, neonatal fellows, nurse coordinators, psychologists, occupational and physical therapists, and audiologists. Approximately 12 infants are seen each week. |
| Sparrow Regional Neonatal Transport Program | A highly trained Neonatal Transport Nurse team, with support from Respiratory Therapists and EMTs, staffs the Sparrow-MSU Neonatal Transport Program, which serves the entire Mid-Michigan region. For critically ill infants, or those with complex or multiple system disorders the neonatal fellow (or Neonatal Nurse Practitioner) accompanies the primary team. |
| Computerized Neonatal Database | A computerized electronic medical record system (EPIC) is in use in the NICU. In addition, the MSU Program is part of the Vermont-Oxford Network. Access to archived data is available for fellows for research and/or quality improvement projects. Each fellow is expected to utilize the database as a resource to complete a review of a pertinent clinical issue. |
| Month/4wk | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Rotation | NICU | RES | NICU | RES | NICU | RES | NICU | RES | NICU | VAC | RES | RES |
| Duty Hours | 80 | 70 | 80 | 70 | 80 | 70 | 80 | 70 | 80 | -- | 70 | 70 |
| Month/4wk | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Rotation | RES | NICU | RES | RES | NICU | RES | RES | NICU | RES | RES | NICU | VAC |
| Duty Hours | 70 | 80 | 70 | 70 | 80 | 70 | 70 | 80 | 70 | 70 | 80 | -- |
| Month/4wk | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Rotation | NICU | RES | Cardiac Surg (U of Mich/ | VAC | RES | NICU | RES | NICU | RES | Fellow-Attending NICU | RES | RES |
| Duty Hours | 80 | 70 | 65 | -- | 70 | 80 | 70 | 80 | 70 | 80 | 70 | 70 |
Total Number of Clinical Months: 14
Total Number of Research Months: 19
Total Number of Vacation Months: 3
The Developmental Follow-Up Program occurs each Monday (whole day); fellows do ≈12 days in clinic each year. Extra clinical electives (Pediatric Surgery, Perinatology, Genetics, etc.) can be done in the 2nd or 3rd year.