Medical Education – Neonatology

CAHS Neonatology has an extensive teaching program, tailored to the level of the trainee.

We are dedicated to ensuring that all staff feel supported, wherever they are on their educational journey.

We aim to ensure that staff can advance their clinical skillset to deliver high quality care as well as make progress in their chosen career pathway. We have an extensive formal teaching program, as outlined below, in addition to a high standard of frequent, informal teaching.

All levels:

  • Weekly PCH (surgical) grand rounds
  • Weekly KEMH (perinatal) grand rounds
  • Weekly department-wide teaching
  • Weekly Maternal-Foetal Medicine meeting
  • Weekly MDT ‘Family Focus’
  • Regular informal teaching on ward rounds

RMO

  • Weekly protected teaching
  • Neoresus program

Registrar

  • Weekly protected teaching
  • Mentorship by senior registrars

Senior Registrar

  • Weekly formal senior registrar teaching (protected)
  • Monthly combined critical care teaching (protected)
  • Weekly unit wide teaching
  • Bimonthly Simulation-based teaching
  • Neonatal ultrasound teaching – informal but highly encouraged

Senior Registrars at PCH will gain experience in:

  • Management of neonates with surgical issues such as congenital diaphragmatic hernia, oesophageal atresia/ TOF, gastroschisis, bowel atresia, surgical NEC, malrotation, congenital heart disease.
  • Patients with complex medical needs with syndromes/ genetic abnormalities.
  • Patients with airway issues such as Pierre Robin Sequence.
  • Neurosurgical disorders such as myelomeningocele and post-haemorrhagic hydrocephalus.
  • Neurological issues such as cooling for Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, seizures, stroke, neuromuscular disorders.
  • Presentation with inborn errors of the metabolism.
  • Sepsis, jaundice, respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, meconium aspiration syndrome, pulmonary hypertension, patent ductus arteriosus, hypoglycaemia.
  • Various modalities of neonatal ventilation such as PC-AC, SIMV, volume guarantee ventilation, pressure support ventilation, high frequency oscillatory ventilation, high frequency jet ventilation (our unit is one of only 2 in Australia that offers jet ventilation).
  • Inhaled nitric oxide therapy for acute severe pulmonary hypertension.
  • Fluid therapy, parenteral as well as enteral nutrition.
  • Developmental follow up of ex-preterm and high-risk term infants.
  • There is the potential to train in clinician performed ultrasound (cardiac/ lung/ head/ abdominal) and a program is being developed for ultrasound-guided intravascular access.
  • Advanced Trainees will receive full support in completing their college research projects.

Other training available

We are fortunate to have Dr Andy Gill & Dr Trish Woods as senior consultant staff at King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH) and credentialled supervisors of the Australasian Society of Ultrasound Medicine (ASUM) Certificate in Clinician Performed Ultrasound (CCPU) Neonatal Reference Group.

They provide substantial expertise to all aspects of clinician performed ultrasound education, assessment, clinical practice, and governance.

Their mentorship entails comprehensive support of a candidate’s journey through the CCPU curriculum, to the point of certification for neonatal cardiac, cranial and lung ultrasound. They maintain contemporary authorship of the neonatal CCPU syllabi, recommended scanning style guides and online educational resources available to the candidate for the duration of the learning agreement.

They have pioneered the introduction of neonatal lung ultrasound into clinical practice and formulated a new dedicated neonatal CCPU unit. They have conducted several national and international neonatal advanced cardiac and lung ultrasound workshops. Several members of our consultant team are CCPU holders and Dr Dimple Goel provides support whilst clinically based at Perth Children’s Hospital.

As Primary supervisors they commit to personal availability for regular direct supervision (where possible) and support of a candidate’s scanning procedure, image acquisition, storage, documentation, and review of work. Detailed case-based discussions with integration to support clinical practice occurs regularly in individual and group learning sessions. The progression of a candidate’s learning and skill acquisition is evidenced by regular case and logbook review and provision of constructive feedback, with future learning goals.

Last Updated: 19/07/2023