Clinical Experience
Albany Medical Center is the only State-designated Level IV Regional Perinatal Center in the area. The NICU is one of the largest in upstate New York, with 31 intensive and 19 intermediate care beds.
Together with the on-service neonatologist, fellows conduct work rounds, supervise and teach house staff in NICU rotations, and orchestrate neonatal transports. Fellows' responsibilities are gradually increased throughout the training program. During the second and third years, fellows spend at least one month on the clinical service, as "co-attendings".
The Newborn Follow-up Program is directed by Anthony Malone, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Child Development. Fellows routinely participate in the follow-up clinic one Monday each month, and may elect to use a substantial part of their time in research projects or acquisition of expertise in neonatal development and follow-up.
Fellows on the clinical service participate in the clinical research studies and quality improvement projects in progress in the NICU, and attend the NICU Quality Improvement Team meetings. Fellows must also develop their own research project(s). Assistance in study design, writing and submission of protocols, project execution, data analysis and submission for publication is provided by the faculty and Research Nurse Coordinators. By the end of the first year, a Scholarship Oversight Committee is appointed to oversee each fellow's research activities. Fellows are taught computer database administration and analysis for quality management, essential for competency in practice-based learning.
ON-CALL SCHEDULE
The on-call schedule for fellows (with an in-house attending) is flexible; its frequency approximates every 5th night during the first year, and every 6th night in the second and third years.
TEACHING CONFERENCES SCHEDULED WEEKLY INCLUDE:
Neonatology Conference - a rotating schedule of Journal Club, M&M review, developmental physiology topics, and research updates by second and third year fellows and neonatology or guest faculty
Pediatric Grand Rounds
Pediatric Case Management Conference - animated, well-attended conference on pediatric cases from all subspecialties, including neonatology
Daily radiology conference including ultrasound review
Didactic teaching sessions, 2 - 3 days/week, by attending (or fellow), for the NICU team
Other scheduled conferences include a monthly Perinatal Conference with the department of Ob/Gyn and Pediatric subspecialties, and a monthly Perinatal Ethics Conference, with faculty from the Bioethics Department.
Additional lectures are added to cover the fellowship core curriculum, which includes topics in physiology, bio statistics, Boards review, and development of written, poster and spoken presentation skills. Regular research conferences are held by the laboratory research groups with which the fellow may be associated.
Finally, an annual series of lectures on core competencies and related topics is provided annually to AMC house staff by the Office of Graduate Medical Education.
