Essentials of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine fellowship: an overview

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (NPM) fellowship programs have undergone constant evolution since their first appearance in the 1960s. This article is the first in a seven-part series (Table 1) that critically evaluates the essentials of neonatology fellowship clinical and research education, performance assessment, and administrative support necessary to support NPM fellowship programs. This overview article will provide background on the history of NPM fellowship programs and provide a framework for the article series. Table 1 Essentials of NPM fellowship article series. Essentials of NPM fellowship Part 1: Overview of NPM fellowship  Description of the evolution of NPM Fellowship Part 2: Clinical education and experience  Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of clinical education in NPM fellowship Part 3: Scholarship opportunities and threats  Scholarship requirements during NPM fellowship Part 4: Innovations in medical education  Critical analysis of current educational practices and andragogical innovations in NPM fellowship Part 5: Evaluation of competence and proficiency using milestones  Assessment of NPM fellows during training using competency-based medical education principles Part 6: Program administration  Administrative infrastructure and stakeholders necessary to run a NPM fellowship program Part 7: Careers in NPM  Career preparation and opportunities for NPM fellowship graduates.