| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Clinical and Medical |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Head of Department (Clinical) |
| Direct reports | Senior Resident Doctor, Resident Medical Officer |
| Experience | 2 to 6 years in a level III NICU after postgraduation |
Neonatologist job description template
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Job title: Neonatologist
Department: Clinical and Medical
Reports to: Head of Department (Clinical)
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Neonatologist cares for newborn babies who are premature, sick or at risk: low birth weight babies, breathing difficulty, severe jaundice, infections and birth asphyxia. They lead the NICU, attend high-risk deliveries to resuscitate babies at birth, manage ventilation and nutrition for tiny preterm babies, and guide parents through weeks of uncertainty. A good neonatologist keeps NICU infection low, gets babies home safely and plans follow-up for growth, hearing, eyes and development.
Key responsibilities
- Attend high-risk deliveries and caesareans to receive and resuscitate newborns according to neonatal resuscitation guidelines.
- Admit and manage NICU babies with prematurity, respiratory distress, sepsis, jaundice, birth asphyxia and congenital problems.
- Provide respiratory support through CPAP, surfactant and ventilation, and wean babies off support as they improve.
- Plan preterm feeding from tube feeds and parenteral nutrition to breastfeeding, checking weight gain daily.
- Perform procedures such as umbilical line insertion, lumbar puncture and exchange transfusion when needed.
- Enforce NICU infection control: hand hygiene, line care bundles, incubator cleaning and restricted entry.
- Arrange screening of preterm babies for retinopathy of prematurity, hearing loss and brain injury at the right ages.
- Update parents daily, involve mothers in kangaroo mother care and prepare the family for discharge.
- Plan discharge with vaccination, follow-up dates and danger signs, and run the high-risk newborn follow-up clinic.
- Review neonatal deaths and complications at the perinatal meeting with obstetricians and act on the shared lessons.
Requirements
- DM or DrNB in Neonatology, or MD Paediatrics with a recognised neonatology fellowship
- Valid registration with the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council
- Neonatal resuscitation instructor certification is an advantage
- 2 to 6 years in a level III NICU after postgraduation
KRAs and KPIs for a Neonatologist
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Neonatal infection | Late-onset sepsis rate in NICU babies within the unit target each quarter |
| Resuscitation readiness | Trained neonatal team present at 100 percent of high-risk deliveries |
| ROP screening | Every eligible preterm baby screened for retinopathy of prematurity at the scheduled age |
| Breast milk at discharge | At least 80 percent of NICU babies discharged on breast milk feeds |
| Parent communication | Documented daily update to parents for 100 percent of NICU babies |
| Follow-up attendance | At least 75 percent of high-risk babies attend the follow-up clinic at 3 months |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Neonatal ventilator, Bubble CPAP, Radiant warmer and incubator, Phototherapy unit, Neonatal multipara monitor, Transcutaneous bilirubinometer.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Head of Department (Clinical), Clinical Director
Interview questions for a Neonatologist
- A 28-week baby is born not breathing. Take me through the first 10 minutes.
- How do you reduce sepsis in a NICU when nurses are stretched across many babies?
- When do you start and stop CPAP in a preterm baby?
- Parents want to take their 32-week baby home early because of costs. How do you respond?
- How do you explain a poor prognosis to parents after severe birth asphyxia?
- What does your high-risk follow-up clinic check at each visit?
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What does a neonatologist do?
A neonatologist is a paediatric specialist who cares for sick and premature newborn babies, mostly in the neonatal intensive care unit. They resuscitate babies at birth, manage breathing support, infection, jaundice and feeding, perform procedures and follow high-risk babies after discharge to check growth and development.
What is the difference between a neonatologist and a paediatrician?
A paediatrician treats children from birth to adolescence, including healthy newborns. A neonatologist has extra training in caring for sick and premature newborns and works mainly in the NICU. In smaller hospitals without a neonatologist, trained paediatricians run the newborn unit.
How do you become a neonatologist in India?
After MBBS you complete an MD or DNB in Paediatrics, then a DM or DrNB in Neonatology, or a recognised fellowship in neonatology. Hands-on training in a level III NICU with ventilated and extremely preterm babies matters before you take charge of a unit.