Meet Dr. Sibasis Daspal.  Dr. Daspal was born in India, trained in pediatrics in India, UK and Canada (Edmonton) with sub specialty training in neonatal intensive care. He started working as a neonatologist in Saskatoon (initially RUH which subsequently moved to Jim Pattison Children's Hospital) in the year of 2014. He was appointed as medical director of the NICU since 2019. Dr. Daspal's special interest is incorporating bed side point of care ultrasound in the clinical practices. He also strongly believes in family centred care & helped his NICU to be the first in Canada to implement NicView web based camera for the parents to cherish their babies every moment when they are not physically in the unit. Dr. Daspal is a wealth of knowledge & is committed to ensure the best possible family centred care to the babies of Saskatchewan. Is this podcast we discuss clinic visits.  

Meet Carla Connery - Carla is a a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. After enjoying her role as an NICU nurse for 11 years, she completed a Masters of Science in Nursing & Neonatal Nurse Practitioner certification. Carla has worked as a nurse practitioner for 10 years & is passionate about providing the best possible, evidence-based care for her tiny patients. As well, Carla thoroughly enjoys working with families, as she believes they are often the best advocate for their child. One of Carla's children was in NICU for one week after birth which gave her a brief glimpse into the life of an NICU parent. Her child also struggled with health challenges & was a patient on pediatrics for months before passing away.  Carla believes her experience gave her an appreciation for the struggle & trauma that most parents go through when their child is sick.  Carla explains that she was fortunate to know many of her son's caregivers while he was in hospital. She frequently reminds herself of this when working with families who are uncertain & scared of their situation in the NICU. Carla makes ongoing efforts to try to take the time to explain who she is, what the team is monitoring & what the team believes is the best course of medical treatment. 

Carla has have spent her entire career thus far in the NICU & calls herself a lifer. Most of her work time is spent attending high risk deliveries of neonates, working within a multidisciplinary team to manage patients in NICU, & educating staff & families whenever possible. Carla is one of the provincial leaders for the Neonatal Resuscitation Program - an international course for resuscitating newborns. Carla works to help teach this practice to local staff & to various professionals in rural hospitals that deliver babies. Outside the hospital, Carla is a mother to 4 children and she enjoys spending time outdoors where she likes to garden, walk or bike. 

In this episode, we discuss how care  is delivered differently across country & how NICU practices differ.