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40 JANUARY 2018 | EMSWORLD.com I magine a parent's worst fear: Their child is critically ill and clinging to life. Now imagine that child has to be quickly moved to another hospital. Having a child transported by ambulance or airlifted to another facility can add significant stress to an already overwhelming scenario. Neonatal pediatric critical care transport teams often encounter parents during some of the most difficult and scariest moments of their lives. They can help ease these par- ents' fears by staying on the cutting edge of technology and medical advances for the care of their most critically ill respira- tory patients. Multidisciplinary Expertise The neonatal pediatric transport team at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, based in Tampa, consists of a registered nurse, a registered respiratory therapist (RRT), and a paramedic. All team members are required to have a minimum of two years of experi- ence, advanced cardiac life support, basic life support, pediatric advanced life support, STABLE certification, and neonatal resus- citation program certifications. In addition, nurses and respiratory thera- pists must meet requirements mandated by the state as well as additional requirements determined by their medical director. These high standards ensure the team's ability to provide high-quality care for patients from the smallest neonate to adult-size pediat- rics. Having an RRT on the team is one way it differs from many traditional EMS units. The RRT is able to focus closely on the airway and breathing portion of the primary survey, thus eliminating delays in airway manage- ment and delivering more focused care for the younger population. St. Joseph's neonatal pediatric transport team is often called on by providers to assist with difficult airways that require advanced management skills. Team members com- ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY for Neonatal and Pediatric Emerg ency Transport St. Joseph's Children's Hospital's neonatal pediatric transport team stays on the leading edge of care for its littlest patients By Christina Bailey, RRT-NPS; Kevin Fazendin, RRT-NPS, C-NPT; Christopher Hall, MA, RRT-NPS, C-NPT; Sherrie Jones, RRT, C-NPT; Katie Rincon, RRT; and Shari Stewart, RRT-NPS, C-NPT