Your Health Care Team

An Attending Physician, or an Attending, is a doctor who finished medical school and all specialty training. They lead the health care team and are responsible for your child's care while in the hospital. They also teach and supervise fellows, residents, and medical students. 

A Fellow is a doctor who finished their residency and is doing extra training in a specialty area, called a fellowship. Their fellowship is another 1 to 3 years of specialty training. They work closely with the Attending to take care of patients. 

A Resident is a doctor who graduated from medical school. They are starting their medical training at the hospital, or residency. They work under the supervision of an attending doctor and a fellow. A residency is 3 to 7 years, depending on their specialty. Residents in their first year of medical training are Interns. 

A Cardiologist treats and cares for patients with any heart-related conditions. A Cardiology Fellow is completing extra training within cardiology.

A Neonatologist treats and cares for newborns with critical, surgical, or special medical needs. They work in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Intensive Care Nursery, and other hospital units. 

A Hospitalist cares for patients in the hospital. They coordinate and talk with your other doctors and your care team to make sure you receive the best treatment. You will only see a Hospitalist while you are a patient in the hospital.

A Psychiatrist cares for patients with behavioral and mental health conditions. They support patients’ mental health by offering therapy and teaching ways to manage stress, anxiety, and depression. They can also prescribe medicine. 

A Pharmacist specializes in medicines. They work with your doctors to make sure prescribed medicines are the best and safest option for your child. They will also talk with you and your child about taking medicines and answer any questions you have. 

A Physician's Assistant, also called a PA. 

A Nurse Practitioner, or NP, is a nurse with an advanced degree in nursing. 

A Nurse Midwife is an advanced practice registered nurse who provides care during and after pregnancy and during childbirth. 

A Clinical Nurse Specialist, or CNS is an advanced practice nurse who makes hospital practice better by doing research and teaching hospital staff. They usually work with hospital staff in their specialty area. 

A Resource Nurse, or RSN, supports the unit by helping with patient and family care. This can include helping with baths, giving medicines to patients, transporting patients, or helping nurses or doctors with a medical procedure. 

A Vascular Access Nurse places peripheral IVs, also called PIVs, and peripherally inserted central catheters, called PICCs. They are trained to use ultrasound to place IVs.

A Wound Care Nurse helps to prevent and take care of any skin injuries. They care for patients who have chronic and acute wounds, as well as more complex issues. 

A Nurse Coordinator helps you and your child prepare for discharge. They will schedule follow-up appointments, make phone calls, and check patient progress. They also work with the care team to make sure that your family has the patient education and medical support you need before going home. 

A Research Nurse works with patients who are part of an active medical study or research project.

A Nurse Case Manager coordinates and manages your or your child's care throughout hospitalization and helps plan and prepare you for discharge. 

An Occupational Therapist, also called OT, helps your child do small, controlled movements, like buttoning a shirt, writing, or brushing their teeth. They help your child become stronger in these movements.

A Physical Therapist, or PT, helps your child do large body movements safely, like walking, running, and climbing stairs. They help your child become stronger in these movements. The PT can also teach you how to use crutches or wheelchairs.

A Speech and Language Pathologist or Therapist helps your child improve their speech, language, or voice. They also help with swallowing disorders. They are sometimes called SLP or SLT.

A Respiratory Therapist, or RT, cares for patients with lung and breathing conditions. They are responsible for making sure patients have good lung health and can breathe well. They also manage equipment that supports patients’ airways and breathing.

A Psychologist specializes in behavioral and mental health. They support patients’ mental health by offering therapy and teaching ways to manage stress, anxiety, and depression. Psychologists are not medical doctors and cannot prescribe medicines.

A Behavioral Therapist works with you, your child, and your family to change and correct challenging behaviors. They also teach ways you can manage difficult feelings in a healthy way.

A Mental Health Therapist helps you, your child, and your family understand and manage mental health issues like depression, stress, and anxiety.

Pet Therapy connects professionally trained dogs with patients in the hospital to help reduce their stress and anxiety.

A Milieu Counselor gives patients mental and emotional support throughout the day. They can meet patients one-on-one or in a group, depending on patient needs. 

A Parent Mentor is a trained support person for parents with a child in the hospital. They provide support, suggestions, and validation to help parents manage their child’s hospital stay and build relationships with the care team. 

A Patient Care Manager oversees all staff in their assigned specialty areas. They work closely with health care and hospital leadership to make sure patients are safe and hospital standards are met. 

An Assistant Patient Care Manager works directly with the nursing staff and supports the daily functions of the in-patient unit. They work closely with the health care team to make sure that patients are safe and that hospital standards are met during their shifts.

A School Teacher works in the Hospital School. The School Teacher will teach your child when they are in the hospital, so they do not fall behind in school. 

A Librarian works for the hospital and can help your child find books and videos. 

A Certified Nurse Assistant, or CNA, helps the nurse with your child's care. They can perform tasks like taking blood pressure, helping patients when walking to the bathroom or in the hallway, helping patients with bathing or brushing their teeth, and helping patients with meals. They work directly with the nursing team to give extra support. 

A Phlebotomist is a health care worker who specializes in drawing blood for lab tests that the care team orders. 

A Safety Technician sits at the bedside to help keep the patient safe from harm.

A Transport Technician will safely take your child to and from tests and procedures. They use hospital beds or wheelchairs to transport patients within the hospital.

Radiology Technicians are health care workers who are trained to do imaging exams. They can do x-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs, CT scans, or nuclear medicine tests. Other tests, like an Echo or EKG for the heart or an EEG for the brain, may include specialized technicians. 

A Lactation Consultant helps new parents learn how to feed their baby and helps create a feeding plan. They can help with techniques for increasing the breastfeeding parent’s milk supply. If you choose to breastfeed or pump, they can help you feel more comfortable doing so. 

A Cast Technician is responsible for applying and removing casts, including complex casting and orthopedic splints and devices.

A Child Life Specialist helps children feel safe and more comfortable in the hospital and during medical procedures. They use play and activities to help your child understand what is happening and what to expect during tests and treatments. 

A Music Therapist uses music to help children in the hospital. Your child can sing, play, and listen to music, and talk about their feelings during music therapy.

An Art Therapist uses art to help children in the hospital. In art therapy, your child can talk about their feelings, create art, and have fun.

A Case Manager works with families and the care team when a patient is preparing to leave the hospital. Case Managers coordinate care and services before discharge, like home health equipment, insurance coverage, and future clinic appointments.

A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, or LCSW, helps set up resources, support, and services for the family. Social Workers work in both inpatient and outpatient areas. They also coordinate these resources with outside community agencies.

Interpreter Services provides free interpreters to patients and their families while they are in the hospital. Interpreters are available for all patients and family members who are non-English-speaking, deaf, hard of hearing, or blind. Interpreters are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and may be in person, over the phone, or through a video call. 

A Recreation Coordinator organizes events and activities for patients and their families. The Recreation Coordinator can play with your child and provide toys and activities in the playroom and your child's hospital room.

A Birth Recorder collects and files the infant's birth certificate application with the county. They will also share it with the federal government for the baby to receive a Social Security number. The Birth Recorder will do these steps after delivery and before your infant goes home.

A Hospital Volunteer can help patients, families, and hospital staff with non-medical activities. 

Dietary Services is responsible for your child's daily meal orders and delivery to your child's room. They also manage the hospital cafeteria. 

Environmental Services, or EVS, provides a safe, clean, and comfortable environment for patients and staff, including sanitizing and disinfecting appropriate areas.