Who's Who on Your Hospital Team:
First and foremost, each patient has a nurse assigned to him or
her at all times - 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The nurse
works closely with your doctor to oversee and coordinate your care. Even
when your nurse is on break, there is a nurse assigned to be responsible
for your safe care. The nurse develops a plan for each of his or
her patients and leads a team who help with your care. Below is
a list of the other professionals who may help your nurse and doctor
deliver care to you based on your individual needs. Any questions
about your care should be directed to the nurse or to the nurse
manager.
The Nursing Team:
Nurses
Your assigned Nurse will be most involved in your day-to-day care and oversee all aspects of your stay. There are various kinds of nurses, all of whom are licensed professionals with different levels of training and specialization. These include LPNs with nursing diplomas, and RNs with Associate Degrees, Bachelor’s Degrees and Master’s Degrees. Your nurse may call on other staff nurses to help with your care, such as evaluation or treatments.
Nurse Manager
The Nurse
Manager oversees all the care on a particular unit. The nurse
taking care of you is supported by the nurse manager.
Staff Educator
These nurses
serve as educational resources to staff, giving them the latest
information about medication, treatments or technology.
-
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
Clinical nurse specialists
have Masters degrees in a specialty and provide teaching and
support to patients in their particular area of knowledge.
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
A Nurse
Practitioner is a registered nurse who has completed additional
courses and specialized training. They can diagnose and treat
illnesses in their specialty. Some nurse practitioners can prescribe
medications. They work under the supervision of a physician.
Other Team Members:
Nurses aren’t the only professionals caring for
you. Here are examples of some of the others who may be part
of your care team:
- 1:1 Patient Observer
A patient observer is like a sitter and maintains constant watch
over a single patient for safety reasons.
- Clinical Pharmacist
A clinical pharmacist participates directly with the health care
team and influences the quality and safety of medication use
in a variety of ways. These may include: making rounds
on the patient units, reviewing medication orders for safety,
providing recommendations, consulting on patient discharge
medications and educating patients.
- Dietitian
A Registered Dietitian (RD) is a food and nutrition expert who
provides dietary support, counseling and/or education to patients,
family and/or nurses to ensure appropriate nutritional care.
- Hospitalist
Hospitalists are doctors who specialize in caring for hospitalized
patients. They can focus all their attention on managing
the care of patients inside the hospital, including coordinating
and consulting with your other doctors, and keeping you and your
family informed.
- IV Therapy Team/Line Access
This team is available to put in IV lines and to troubleshoot
IV placement issues.
- Intensivist/Neonatologist
These specialized doctors are located in the critical care units
to support and direct the care of critically ill adults and
newborns.
- Intern/Resident
Medical school graduate doctors who are gaining supervised practical
or specialized experience in a hospital setting may be part
of your caregiving team.
- Licensed Social Services / Case Management
These staff are healthcare professionals who help patients
deal with crisis, cope with their illness, solve problems,
enhance communication with members of the healthcare team and access
hospital and community services.
- Patient Transport Team
These staff take patients and their equipment to and from tests,
procedures and appointments within the hospital.
- Physician Assistant (PA)
PAs provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services, with
supervision from physicians. They should not be confused with medical assistants,
who perform routine clinical and clerical tasks.
- Rapid Response Team
In some hospitals, this team of clinicians provides critical
care expertise and responds to a patient’s bedside to
assist with a serious change in a patient’s condition
and if appropriate, a change in treatment.
- Recreation/Milieu Therapist
Recreation/Milieu Therapists provide planned activities that
support the care of the patients on hospital units--most often
in psychiatric settings.
- Rehabilitation Activities
Physical therapists (PT), speech and language pathologists, and occupational
therapists (OT) and their assistants are available to provide individual or
group therapy to individual patients based on the specific needs of each patient,
with a focus on resolving or improving the functional status of those patients.
- Occupational Therapy (OT) is skilled treatment that helps
individuals achieve independence in all facets of their lives.
- Physical therapists (PT) spend their time focusing on
the large motor groups that contribute to walking, reaching, standing and
physical activities.
- Respiratory Therapy
These individuals perform testing and provide respiratory treatments
to diagnose and manage the care of patients with lung and breathing
problems. They also monitor and maintain respiratory
equipment, and provide patient education.
- Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (UAP)
Includes nursing assistants, orderlies, patient care technicians
/ assistants, and graduate nurses not yet licensed who have completed
unit orientation.
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