The precise training programme will vary from centre to centre. We recommend that the programme be designed to ensure that the trainee acquires competencies in several key areas (see below). Each trainee should be allocated to a mentor at the commencement of training and the mentor is responsible for the assessment and recording of competence. In some countries final certification in neonatology is undertaken but this is not mandatory and should not replace the process of mentoring and professional assessment.
Each area of competency set out below comprises a specific area of practice specific to neonatology and more general areas of competency, for example clinical governance and audit, should be catered for within the general training programmes of the institutions undertaking training. These areas as appropriate to the neonatologist can be identified from the curriculum. In addition to the training necessary to support the development of the competencies below, it is recommended that trainees develop expertise in specific areas relevant to the practice of Neonatology, for example:
- Peri-operative care in neonatal surgery
- Fetal medicine
- Clinical genetics
- Neurodevelopmental assessment to support practice in follow-up clinics