A Team Approach To Care

Our team consists of a variety of health care providers, each with unique skills and training.

A neonatologist is a pediatrician with special training in caring for babies who are sick and require intensive care after birth. Neonatologists coordinate the care for the majority of babies in the NICU. At times, the neonatologist may consult with other pediatric specialists to help with your baby’s care. Although there are many different people involved in your baby’s care while in the NICU, the neonatologist determines and coordinates the daily plan of care.

Neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs) are neonatal nurses who have obtained a graduate degree (or certificate) with emphasis in caring for the needs of premature and critically ill newborns and their families. The NNP works in collaboration with a neonatologist to diagnose and treat babies. The NNP also performs procedures to aid in the diagnosis (e.g., spinal taps) and management (e.g., chest tube placement) of medical conditions.

A physician assistant (PA) is a nationally certified and state-licensed medical professional who works under the supervision of a physician. A physician assistant’s scope of practice covers the entire life span from newborn to the elderly. A physician assistant examines, diagnoses, treats and educates patients/families as part of a medical team.

A developmental pediatrician is a specialist within the field of developmental pediatrics, which has been a subspecialty of pediatrics for more than 20 years. This field overlaps with many other areas of pediatrics, including neurology, psychiatry, psychology, physical medicine and general pediatrics. Developmental pediatricians frequently manage or evaluate conditions that are considered developmental disabilities, but the field also encompasses ways of preventing some of the impact these disabilities may have on a child and their family.