The Wee Care^® Program

The Wee Care® Program
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Hands-on training in developmental care for your entire staff.

Since 1991, Children's Medical Ventures has been working to establish developmentally supportive, family-centered care as the standard of care in the newborn intensive care unit with innovative products and education programs. Our interactive education programs heighten the awareness of caregivers to the impact that care practices and the micro and macro environment have on the premature infant and his or her family.

Children's Medical Ventures also offers a wide range of additional programs, many with the same hands-on, experiential approach, including the nationally recognized Preemie for a Day® program.

Research in the last decade has shown the positive effects of developmentally supportive, family-centered care on preterm infants and their families. Caregivers can see the importance of developmental support on improved long and short term outcomes of their smallest patients. Many hospitals who have completed our Wee Care® program have researched or reviewed the impact of Wee Care® training and have identified the following results:

• Decreased length of stay
• Decreased costs
• Fewer morbidities
• Lower sound levels
• Decreased ambient lighting
• Decrease in restraint hours
• Improved staff morale
• Increased parent satisfaction

Wee Care® is a clinically relevant, practical program offered by Children's Medical Ventures for the education of your entire NICU staff. Our comprehensive program, typically 3-5 days in duration, addresses the optimization of the NICU environment and care practices in order to facilitate the best possible outcomes for premature infants and their families. Wee CareSM is taught by a team of clinically active experts in the field and utilizes classroom-teaching activities, interactive sessions and hands-on demonstrations of practical skills, both in the classroom and the NICU. The teaching program educates the entire staff, including all support personnel, per their individual needs and roles within the NICU, in the concepts of developmentally supportive, family-centered care. After completion of the basic Wee Care® program, advanced training in developmentally supportive, family-centered care is available from Children’s Medical Ventures.

Practical hands-on experiences include:

• Classroom instruction on developmental theories and cues, sensory system development, environmental issues, family-centered care and outcomes.
• Hands-on workshops focusing on positioning and all aspects of handling and caregiving.
• Customize and interactive session on either kangaroo care, feeding or families.
• Bedside consultation in the NICU to problem solve daily challenges.
• Special presentations for support staff (respiratory therapy, radiology, clerical, housekeeping, etc.) addressing their contribution to developmental care.
• Workshops for physical, occupational and speech therapists focusing on their unique role in the NICU.
• Practical ideas for implementation and integration no developmental care throughout the unit and hospital.
• Assistance in establishing and mentoring a developmental care committee.
• Contact hours for nursing staff.*
• Additional educational sessions, support and guidance throughout the year.

Please call for a brochure or further information about Wee Care®, our most comprehensive program for educating your entire staff in developmental care. The program includes support for an entire year after the program is completed to ensure success!