NICU fellowship and # of hospitals

[Oso]

Hi guys, a question as I'm about halfway through interviews and starting to think about my rank list.

Does it make a significant difference if a program has a separate children's hospital level IV NICU + a delivery hospital with level III NICU (ex. Cincinnati) vs a single integrated unit (ex. Michigan)? Not talking about prestige/reputation.

I feel like the answer is 'not really' as long as the clinical experience is busy enough and has enough acuity and breadth but wanted to see what people's thoughts were. Thanks!

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[oldbearprofessor]

Separate (sometimes by a few feet, sometimes by milies), is very common and really doesn't matter much except in terms of whether it means two call teams, etc. So, find out how fellow coverage is handled when the locations are not the same place to ensure that's something you're comfortable with. But generally, this is so common as not to be a deciding factor

 

[Oso]

Separate (sometimes by a few feet, sometimes by milies), is very common and really doesn't matter much except in terms of whether it means two call teams, etc. So, find out how fellow coverage is handled when the locations are not the same place to ensure that's something you're comfortable with. But generally, this is so common as not to be a deciding factor

Thanks for the response! I guess I meant more in terms of the training itself, as the programs with 2 hospitals say 'we have 2 different units, it's great!' and the places with one say 'all in one place, it's great!'. I just wanted to confirm that it doesn't really make a difference in terms of training assume you have enough volume and acuity.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

The only real issue i've seen is that the fellow at the "outside" place (the delivery hospital) may have a little harder time getting to conferences (back when conferences were in person) and things like that. Also, transportation between locations can be a bit of an issue. But more generally, no real effect that I've seen

 

[Oso]

Thanks!!