During Your Child's Stay
- Your Child's Primary Care Team
- Inpatient Rooms
- Health and Safety
- Privacy and Confidentiality
- New Moms and Nursing Mothers
Your Child's Primary Care Team
Your child's primary care team will include people from various professions. All staff wear identification badges - be sure to ask who is caring for your child if you do not know.
Since Children's is a teaching hospital, nursing and medical students will likely help care for your child.
A registered nurse (RN) on each shift is assigned to care for your child. The RN is your main contact with other members of your child's health care team. This nurse will teach you and your child about his care during and after a surgery or hospital stay.
The attending physician is your child's main doctor while he's at the hospital. The attending physician leads the team developing the treatment plan for your child.
Your child will also receive care from resident physicians and fellows-licensed doctors who are receiving specialized pediatric training. They keep the attending physician informed about your child's progress.
Learn more about your child's health team.
Inpatient Rooms
Your child will be assigned to a room based on his diagnosis, age and sex. When rooms are shared, please be respectful of other children and families. Each inpatient bed has both a television and telephone.
Learn more about deaf and hard-of-hearing services.
You can make local, credit card or collect calls from the phone in your child's room. Pay phones are also located in the following hospital locations:
- 4th floor by the Balloon elevators (modem access)
- 5th floor between the Balloon and Rocket elevators
- 6th floor by the Whale elevators
Health and Safety
For your child's health and safety:
- Use the hospital's public restrooms unless your child's nurse says it is okay to use the bathroom in his room.
- Make sure that your child wears his identification bracelet and that you wear your parent ID badge at all times.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or Purell® hand gel. Follow the handwashing guidelines for your child's room and/or unit to help prevent the spread of infections.
- Check with your child's nurse before taking him away from his room.
- Keep your cell phone and related devices turned off (not just silent) in your child's room and all treatment areas.
- Limit the number of visitors in your child's room. Most units allow from one to three visitors at a time. Visitors can wait in the cafeteria or the Family Resource Center.
- Each patient care unit has a refrigerator where you can store food for your child and a microwave. Please label and date your food before putting it in the refrigerator. Talk to your nurse before you bring food for your child.
- You can also call local restaurants and have food delivered to Children's.
Learn more about activities for your child and family while staying at the hospital.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Information about a child's health is shared with parents and legally authorized persons. We will provide health information to family, friends or others that you tell us have an active interest in your child's care.
Please keep confidential any information you overhear about other patients during your stay. Learn more about your privacy rights.
New Moms and Nursing Mothers
Most units have special rooms with breast pumps. For questions about pumping breast milk or breast-feeding, talk to your child's nurse or ask to speak with a lactation consultant.
Talk to your child's nurse about free meals for mothers who are breast-feeding a hospitalized child under the age of 1 year. Before each meal, pick up a ticket, filed under your baby's last name, at the Greeter Desk at the 5th floor Whale entrance.