The Health Care Team is made up of numerous health care professionals. Below are listed some of the team members you will interact with most frequently.
Nurse Manager is a registered nurse is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the patient care area and for the nursing staff who deliver care.
Our goal is to meet the needs of the entire family. Nurses provide education and support to patients and their families and strive to accommodate individual requests. They continuously look for ways to improve the care that is provided. Should you have any questions or concerns during your stay, the nurse manager is always available to meet with you or to speak with you on the telephone.
Registered Nurses are likely to be the members of the team that you will interact with most frequently. You will find this staff will serve as a great source of information about the patients condition. They work collaboratively with other team members to deliver and coordinate the complex care patients require. Because nurses provide continuous care 24 hours a day, you may encounter several nurses. Continuity of care is assured through a system of detailed written and oral communication, discussions with physicians and discharge planning rounds with other members of the team.
Attending Physician is the "doctor of record" and in charge of the patient's care during the current hospitalization. The attending physician may be the patient's primary care physician, that is the physician seen on a regular basis in the doctor's office, or may be a physician that was selected at the time of admission on the basis of the nature of illness of injury at time of admission.
Consulting Physicians are physicians who your attending physician has asked to help care for you. They specialize in a particular area of medicine such as endocrinology, pulmonology, cardiology or nephrology.
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) serves as a clinical expert and a resource to staff. The CNS is also an educator who monitors staff’s orientation and professional development.
Dietitians work with the team to ensure that the patient is getting adequate nutrition to aid in recovering from their illness or injury.
Nursing assistants are specifically trained to assist the RN staff with many important aspects of care such as bathing, turning, feeding and transporting patients.
Respiratory Care Professionals have special training and experience in caring for patients with breathing problems. They set up and maintain breathing machines (mechanical ventilators) as well as help the doctors and nurses adjust these machines to best meet the patient's needs. They also give breathing treatments, suction secretions from the breathing tubes and setup and maintain oxygen delivery devices and many other pieces of breathing equipment.
Case Managers are specially trained Registered Nurses who act as a resource to patients, family and the health care team regarding options to optimize the patients personalized plan of care. The case manager also will frequently act as a liaison between the patient and their insurance company to facilitate resolution of coverage issues.
Social Workers have special training and experience in managing psychosocial, financial and discharge planning issues surrounding a patient's hospitalization.
Unit Secretaries help with communication and coordination of most activities on the patient care unit.
Other Team Members include clergy, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, other nursing staff such as Licensed Practical Nurses, cardiac and emergency technicians, radiology and laboratory technicians as well as a wide array of supportive services that vary based on patient needs.
Patient, Family and Friends are an essential part of the health care team. As with all team members,it is important to understand the problem and plan of care. Thus, communication between a patient, their significant others and health care providers on a regular basis is crucial. Please schedule regular times with the doctor(s) and nurses to get updates about the patient's condition. If the patient is unable to actively participate in discussion about the plan of care, and in consideration of confidentiality needs and time constraints, one family member should be appointed as spokesperson, with the communication by the health care providers shared with others by this spokesperson.