Welcome to the Program
Shikha Gupta-Bhatnagar, MD, MSc (HQ), FRCPC
Neonatal Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program Director
The McMaster Neonatal Perinatal Fellowship Program is based in the Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics at McMaster Children’s Hospital. Originally founded by Dr. Jack Sinclair in 1988. Our program has an unparalleled track record of training leaders in Academic and Community Neonatology. Our alumni have held positions within Canada and internationally including leadership positions as Medical Director, Division Chiefs and Program Directors.
We offer a two year program that focuses on clinical excellence and scholarly goals. A comprehensive clinical experience in Neonatal Perinatal Medicine is provided through 47 bedded Level III NICU and 14 bedded Level 2C NICU at a single site within McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton. The scholarly activity and research experience are focused towards each trainees’s interests and being mentored by highly engaged and experienced faculty within our department. Our program is fully accredited by the the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and satisfies the requirements for subspecialty training in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine of American Board of Pediatrics.
Trainees gain broad exposure to Clinical Neonatology through serial rotations in our NICU, Level II Nursery, Labour and Delivery suite, high risk Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinics, Prenatal Diagnosis Clinic, Growth and Development Neonatal follow up clinics as well as opportunities to get actively involved in neonatal transport runs by dedicated McMaster regional neonatal transport team throughout their training period. In addition trainees can also choose two elective rotations during their training period. Trainees have access to Echo and Ultrasound machines in the unit to learn and optimize their Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography (TnEcho) skills and point of care cranial and abdominal ultrasounds during their training period. Our program has high fidelity manikins for NRP and PICC insertion simulations. Trainees get access to our extensive online educational modules, digital libraries, mock written exams and practice OSCE exams to prepare them very well towards the Neonatology examinations.
Our Program is committed to teach Research skills through Research Methodology, Biostatistics and Evidence based medicine workshops which are conducted every year for all the fellows. Trainees get protected time for their research activities. Trainees are encouraged to present their work at national and international conferences and supported with sufficient funding from the program to meet their travel costs. We have a structured curriculum and our academic half days are scheduled on Thursday afternoons which are pager protected. We have weekly journal clubs, seminars, cross canada rounds, combined half days with other subspecialties, MFM rounds, Paediatric surgery rounds, Pediatric grand rounds and monthly morbidity and mortality rounds. Trainees will have an opportunity to formally present at these rounds which provides a chance to improve one’s presentation skills, as well as learning how to deal with challenges to their knowledge and ideas. Fellows have lots of opportunities to teach their juniors and Paediatric residents at bedside as well as at scheduled resident teaching sessions.
The system of evaluation allows not only the trainee being evaluated by the staff physicians they work with, but also provides an opportunity to evaluate the staff and the educational system that we have. It is very important to recognize how vital this evaluation is to ensure not only an improved experience for the trainees, but also those that follow. Trainees are encouraged to identify any problems that arise as quickly as possible and not leave these until the end of your formal training. Once problems are identified, they can usually be solved quickly and efficiently. We are always open to trainee’s feedbacks and incorporate changes to the program periodically to optimize trainees’s enjoyable positive educational experience but also that they develop a career in a best possible way.
We are not only interested in the trainee’s professional development but also believe it’s extremely important that the trainees have an enjoyable social and recreational time in Hamilton. This is a wonderful city to live in and there are boundless opportunities for recreation. Be sure to speak to the fellows who are a year ahead of you who have had the opportunity to explore the best places to go and the most enjoyable recreational activities in the region. We also host social events periodically by the program as well as we financially support the Annual fellows retreat day which is the most enjoyable family event for the trainees in our program
In summary our program has a well established structure and is flexible to accomodate the trainee’s needs to achieve their educational and career goals in their two years of training.
