The Newborn Nursery Clinical Experience is an innovative, early exposure for medical students to the hospital setting and family medicine. Early in their second year, our medical students are immersed into the Newborn Nursery, while also experiencing the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and attending obstetrical deliveries. They witness, first hand, the interprofessional and interdisciplinary workings of pediatricians, obstetricians, neonatologists, anesthesiologists, nurses and other professionals. The medical students are also instructed on how to read a medical chart and on proper medical documentation and its importance. They also interact with the mother of the patient, as well as other family members that are in attendance, and long-term continuity of integrated care and the focus on the personal patient/patient’s guardian(s) - physician relationship is stressed. This experience is always well-received and highly evaluated by our medical students. It also helps to prepare them for their third year clinical rotations in family medicine, pediatrics and Ob/Gyn.

Peter Averkiou is a pediatrician and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University. He is the Co-Director of the four Foundations of Medicine Courses, the Director of the Service Learning Projects, the Director of the Newborn Nursery Clinical Rotation and the Director of the Synthesis and Transition Course at the medical school.