Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine

What is neonatal/perinatal?

Neonatal/perinatal medicine is the specialty that centers around intensive care for premature babies or critically born newborns, in addition to health concerns of the mother. Neonatology is focused on the medical care of mainly ill or premature newborns while perinatology focuses on medical care concerning the mother and fetus, before, during, and after pregnancy.

Education Pathway:

As anyone who is aspiring to have a job in the medical profession, one will first need to graduate from high school and attend a college or university to receive a bachelor’s degree, specifically a BS - Bachelor of Science. During undergraduate, you’ll also want to apply to medical internships and prepare for the MCAT, the MCAT is the Medical College Admissions Test. The next step is medical school. From medical school, one will obtain a Doctor of Medicine degree then go on to obtaining a medical license. To obtain a medical license one needs to pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). More in-depth information on the education pathway to becoming a doctor can be read in Viva Voong’s article on our website, Medical Education Pathway. Now to actually become a neonatologist, one will need to complete a pediatric internship and residency, which is three years. This residency includes taking care of patients (in a supervised environment), attending daily lectures/conferences, and working night shifts for pediatric emergencies. Then, a three-year neonatology fellowship. This fellowship consists of taking care of sick babies, learning how to handle/take care of neonatal conditions, in addition to writing an article on a research project concerning newborn care. That sums up becoming a neonatologist! In order to become a perinatologist, a four-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology is required, followed by a two to three-year perinatology fellowship. Lastly, a neonatologist or perinatologist needs a Certification from the American Board of Pediatrics and by the Sub-board of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.

Salary:

The average salary of a neonatologist in the US is $255,038. The average salary of a perinatologist is $428,746.

Subspecialties:

There are actually no subspecialties of neonatology or perinatology since neonatology itself is a subspecialty of pediatrics and perinatology is a subspecialty of OB/GYN.

What can you do as a neonatologist/perinatologist?

Most neonatologists either work at a university medical hospital, a group practice, a community hospital, a solo practice, or in a neonatal intensive care unit of hospitals. You can also choose to work in the research section of neonatology by for example working in a laboratory. As a neonatologist, most days consist of diagnosing or treating newborns with conditions, stabilizing/treating newborns who are experiencing life-threatening medical conditions, consulting with others about the conditions affecting a newborn, and caring/managing premature, critically ill, or newborns in need of surgery. A neonatologist typically treats babies who have underdeveloped lungs, liver, brain, immune system, or stomach and intestines. They also see birth defects, perinatal asphyxia, pneumonia, meningitis, hereditary or genetic disorders, hyperbilirubinemia, and injuries from birth or as a newborn. Perinatologists usually work in a hospital, often with a general OB/GYN or a midwife. A perinatologist, also known as a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, gives specialized obstetrical care to high-risk pregnant women. A perinatologist treats conditions/complications in pregnancy that might lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and eating disorders. They also treat preterm labor, advanced maternal age, a history of pregnancy complications, fetal abnormalities, twins/multiples, and more.

Factors to Consider:

As any sort of doctor, one should consider if they are empathetic, which is needed for being around critical patients, as well as the mind to be around lots of suffering patients. It is also essential to decide if the length to become a neonatologist/perinatologist is a suitable length for your lifestyle. More specifically to neonatology/perinatology, it is important to have an interest/love for babies since your work will be revolving around them. It is especially significant to have empathy in this profession while treating the mothers who are likely having a very difficult time. In addition, it is important to have the skills of being able to stay calm in situations of high intensity that could occur in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU). As always, make sure you’re going into the profession of neonatology/perinatology for your fondness in science, babies, mothers, and medical complications surrounding them.

Sources:

Neonatal Perinatal Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.mainehealth.org/Services/Prenatal-Care-Childbirth/Neonatal-Perinatal-Medicine

Jaime Rochelle Herndon, M. (2020, June 02). Reasons Why You Might See a Perinatologist for Prenatal Care. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-a-perinatologist-4173850

What is a Neonatologist? (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/health-management/pediatric-specialists/Pages/What-is-a-Neonatologist.aspx

A Career in Neonatology. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2021, from http://www.neonatology.org/history/history.html

Home. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.beaumont.org/services/womens-services/maternity/choosing-caregiver/perinatologist

Council of Pediatric Subspecialties. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.pedsubs.org/about-cops/subspecialty-descriptions/neonatology/