As we are the tertiary referral NICU for the region, our fellows routinely serve on our neonatal transport team to care for infants transported from area community hospitals to Women & Infants. We are exclusively a ground-based operation. Our transports are staffed by a clinician (NICU fellow/NNP/pediatric resident and, occasionally, a staff neonatologist), neonatal nurse, and respiratory therapist.
Each year, we transport an average of 160 newborns.
Examples of diagnoses requiring transport to the Women & Infants' NICU have included:
- Prematurity
- Respiratory Distress
- Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension
- Hyperbilirubinemia
- Infection
- Seizures
- Neonatal Surgical Emergencies
- Encephalopathy
- Opioid withdrawal requiring pharmacotherapy
- Hypoglycemia
Our fellows take Transport Call on nights and weekends from home, for which they receive a "paid on call" wage. Providers are identified from the service team for transports that occur during the day. Each academic year one fellow is responsible for coordinating the transport coverage schedule. First-year fellows participate annually in transport simulations as part of their education, and they are required to complete a transport checklist prior to becoming an independent provider in the field.
