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Neonatal postgraduate training program for physician assistants: meeting a need in neonatal care

Journal of Perinatology volume 39, pages 746–753 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

There is a growing need for advanced practice providers in the NICU. Physician assistants (PAs) with postgraduate training in neonatology can help meet these demands. The premise of training PAs to work in the NICU is being adopted by multiple centers nationwide. Unfortunately, there are no standardized curricula for neonatal PA training that can be utilized to initiate residencies. Since our program is the longest running neonatal PA residency in the nation, we are in a unique position to share the accumulated experiences of our curriculum development. In this article, we describe our neonatal PA residency as it exists today with selected lessons learned. In addition, we present mixed qualitative and quantitative assessments of graduates. We believe that neonatal PA residency graduates become ideal candidates to fill the growing national need. We propose that our model program can be a stepping stone to enhance the role of PAs in neonatal care.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the role and support of former residency directors Eric Reynolds MD and Lauren Jackson-Belcher PA-C, former pediatric chairpersons J. Timothy Bricker MD and Carmel Wallace MD, current chairperson Scottie Day MD, administrative director Rania Omar Burke MPH, former and current neonatology directors Henrietta Bada MD and Peter Giannone MD, respectively, our review and advisory board members Wendy Hansen MD, Lindsay Ragsdale MD, Ana Ruzic MD, Bradford Schwarz PA-C, Thitinart Sithisarn MD, and subspecialty rotation directors Niraj Chavan MD, Rebecca Collins MD, and Majd Makhoul MD.

Author contributions

EGAJ designed and conceptualized the study, conducted data collection, and interpretation of the quantitative sections. He participated in draft revisions, and approved the final draft. FH-F participated in development of the study plan, conducted all qualitative interviews, analyzed the qualitative data, wrote the qualitative sections, participated in draft revisions, and approved the final draft. TK and MDC designed and conceptualized the study and participated in draft revisions, and approved the final draft.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Elie G. Abu Jawdeh, Frances Hardin-Fanning

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Elie G. Abu Jawdeh, Tria B. Kinnard & M. Douglas Cunningham

  2. College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Frances Hardin-Fanning

Authors
  1. Elie G. Abu Jawdeh
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  2. Frances Hardin-Fanning
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Elie G. Abu Jawdeh or Tria B. Kinnard.

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Abu Jawdeh, E.G., Hardin-Fanning, F., Kinnard, T.B. et al. Neonatal postgraduate training program for physician assistants: meeting a need in neonatal care. J Perinatol 39, 746–753 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-019-0350-9

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