|
Many people will be involved in your child’s care during his or her stay at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis. They will each be clearly identified with name tags so you will know who they are.
When children are admitted to The Children’s Hospital, their care may be managed by an attending physician or by a group of specialists called pediatric hospitalists. Hospitalists do not have group practice patients outside the hospital. They specialize in making each child’s in-hospital stay as efficient and effective as possible. At The Children’s Hospital, our hospitalists also have training and experience in intensive care for those times when a stay in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is necessary. Your personal pediatrician will determine whether he/she will care for your child while in the hospital or care will be provided by the pediatric hospitalists.
A Pediatric Intensivist is a physician who specializes in the care of critically ill children. When a child is hospitalized in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, pediatric intensivists are the physicians that diagnose and direct medical care for that child. To name just a few of the illnesses that are seen by our pediatric intensivists include traumatic injuries, cardiac and respiratory conditions, neurological problems and severe infections.
Licensed resident physicians or medical students from the University of Oklahoma who are receiving advanced training at The Children’s Hospital may also participate in your child’s care under the supervision of the attending physician.
Nurses in The Children’s Hospital are specially trained and prepared to care for pediatric patients and to help parents understand and participate in their child’s care. Nurse technicians, assistants, senior nursing assistants and clinical secretaries may assist the nurse in providing care and answering questions.
A discharge coordinator, who is a registered nurse, works with the doctors and other health team members to coordinate medical and nursing care at The Children’s Hospital. The discharge coordinator is particularly involved in patient-family teaching prior to the patient’s discharge.
The Children’s Hospital offers the services of occupational and physical therapists to both inpatients and outpatients. Speech and language pathologists provide complete evaluation and therapy for children with developmental difficulties and communication problems resulting from trauma or illness. These services may be coordinated for the patient through the Pediatric Rehabilitation Team (PERT).
Respiratory therapists provide therapies for your child’s breathing which are carried out under the direction of the pediatric intensivists or attending physician.
Child life specialists are experienced in understanding a child’s needs while in the hospital. They are trained to ease fears of the hospital and the tests or procedures that must be performed while in the hospital. Child life specialists, recreational therapists and volunteers organize group play sessions and provide activities such as movies and video games that help ease the fears of some procedures and surgeries.
The Children’s Hospital has a dietitian to assist patients with specific nutritional needs. The dietitian is also available for instructions on diet for the child who is returning home.
Pediatric social workers provide counseling services for families and their hospitalized children. They offer information about financial assistance and work with the nursing staff and the family in planning a patient’s discharge.
|