@article{10.22454/FamMed.2026.0109,
author = {Ruiz, Jesus},
title = {Two Patients at Every Birth: Elevating Neonatal Readiness as Core Scope of Practice in Family Medicine Training},
journal = {Family Medicine},
volume = {0},
number = {0},
year = {1},
month = {1},
doi = {10.22454/FamMed.2026.0109},
abstract = {Family medicine residency and fellowship programs have made substantial progress in strengthening maternal and operative obstetric training. Yet neonatal preparedness, particularly prolonged stabilization, procedural skill proficiency, team leadership, and interfacility transfer remain frequently conceptualized as certification-based rather than as a longitudinal professional competency. In rural maternity care settings, where family physicians often serve as both obstetric and neonatal providers without immediate pediatric backup, this educational gap carries meaningful implications for patient safety, workforce sustainability, and scope of practice readiness. Neonatal readiness must be elevated to an explicitly-taught and assessed component of family medicine training. Reframing neonatal competence as multidimensional and encompassing resuscitation, stabilization, procedures, leadership, transfer, and family-centered communication aligns education with real-world rural practice. Preparing future family physicians to manage both maternal and newborn emergencies strengthens community trust, enhances professional confidence, and supports sustainable rural maternity care. Neonatal readiness must be taught with the same intentionality and rigor as obstetric emergencies.},
URL = {https://journals.stfm.org//familymedicine/online-first/ruiz-0109/},
eprint = {https://journals.stfm.org//media/f22ng4tg/fammed-2026-0109.pdf},
}