 Ministry of Health
NZ Government
©Copyright
Published:
29/11/2011
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Objectives
At the time of
graduation the student should have:
- A good appreciation of the
importance of the period before and around birth.
- an understanding of the effect
of pre- and perinatal hazards on long term development
- An understanding of the
development and function of the fetus and newborn, including:
- prenatal development, and
factors that may influence it
- changes that take place at
birth and the physiology of the newborn, at least those aspects relevant to
management
- growth and development of the
newborn and infant, the principles of nutrition
- A basic competence in the
medical management of the newborn baby and the parents.
The student should:
- be able to carry out a
competent physical examination of the term newborn, and understand the
reasons for the examination
- know the presenting signs of
illness in the newborn, be able to formulate a differential diagnosis and
discuss the initial management
- know the causes, presentation
and initial management of the commoner disorder of the newborn, including
asphyxia, birth injury, jaundice, respiratory disorders, feeding
difficulties and the commoner malformations and infections.
- be able to carry out basic
neonatal resuscitation using bag and mask ventilation (+/- cardiac
compression)
- have a good appreciation of
the importance of the parent-infant relationships, and some understanding of
the management of parents in the crises of serious illness, malformation and
death of an infant
- have an exposure to some
important practical procedures in the newborn
- At the very least students
should have a knowledge and understanding of the newborn baby to a stage
where:
- they know what they do not
know, and
are prepared when necessary to ask for advice
- they reach a stage of
competence and confidence that they could manage common neonatal problems
until someone more experienced arrives.
These are an extension of the
objectives of previous years but with more emphasis on the practical work. You
should acquire competence in the medical management of the newborn baby and the
parents. At the end of this attachment you should be able to show that you can
carry out a competent examination of a newborn baby, and that you have
reasonable experience and knowledge of the most common abnormalities, standard
procedures and normal first-week management of the newborn baby.
You should aim to get to a stage of
competence and confidence that you could, as a house physician in a smaller
hospital, manage common neonatal problems before someone more senior arrives.
As learning by teaching is one of
the most effective methods of learning, you may also be given some teaching
responsibility for example, in helping guide one case presentation session with
the 5th year students or by doing a case presentation for medical
staff.
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