Who's teaching neonatal resuscitation to housestaff?: Results of a national survey

Objective. This study was designed to investigate current patterns of train ing in neonatal resuscitation in US residency programs in general pediatric s. Methods. A questionnaire was mailed to the chief residents and directors of all US residency programs in general pediatrics to determine who provides supervision and teaching of neonatal resuscitation in the delivery room and neonatal intensive care unit. This questionnaire also inquired as to the u se within these residency programs of standardized resuscitation training c ourses such as Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Neonatal Resuscitation P rogram. Results. Residents in their third and second years of training are most oft en cited as responsible for supervision and teaching of neonatal resuscitat ion in the delivery room, whereas attending neonatologists are cited most f requently as being responsible for these tasks in the neonatal intensive ca re unit. Pediatric Advanced Life Support is required by virtually all US re sidency programs, followed in frequency by Neonatal Resuscitation Program a nd Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Conclusions. Because those in training collectively provide much of the sup ervision and teaching of neonatal resuscitation, vigilance is required so t hat appropriate resuscitation skills are developed and maintained. Objectiv e performance markers may be useful in assessing competency in caring for s ick newborns.