Your Care Team
El Paso Children’s Hospital promotes a concept called family-centered care. That means care is centered around the children and their family. We believe this is the best way to provide care and to help your child heal faster and get home quicker. Therefore, you are a critical member of your child’s own care team.
El Paso Children’s Hospital is a teaching hospital affiliated with Texas Tech School of Medicine and University Medical Center. This means that your child might be seen by more than one doctor, as we are a teaching hospital. It also means you are getting the best pediatric care possible.
During your visit to El Paso Children’s Hospital, your child may meet many different specialists, all focused on your child. Although the members of a care team vary from patient to patient, here are the different types of health care professionals you may encounter during your child’s hospital experience:
Your Doctors
- An attending physician is a senior medical doctor who directs your child’s care.
- A fellow is a medical doctor in training who specializes in one area (for example, someone who is studying to be a cardiologist, a heart doctor).
- A resident is a medical doctor who is training in pediatrics.
- A consulting Physician is a physician with expertise in a particular area that might offer additional advice on your child’s case.
- Medical Students are many times part of a patient’s care team because El Paso Children’s Hospital is a teaching hospital.
Your Nurses
- A nurse practitioner is a nurse with special training in diagnosing, treating and caring for patients.
- A staff nurse is the nurse who takes care of your child throughout the day and night. There is always a staff nurse responsible for your child’s nursing care.
Other Members of Your Care Team
- Registered Dietitians are nutrition experts who evaluate and modify a patient’s eating patterns. They work with family and medical staff to recommend dietary changes that will promote recovery and prevent complications.
- Occupational Therapists build on skills learned in physical therapy. Patients apply these skills to accomplish tasks such as dressing, bathing and other age-appropriate activities.
- Physical Therapists help patients move independently by building strength and restoring function to the greatest extent possible.
- Speech Therapists evaluate and treat patients with speech and/or hearing problems as well as those with swallowing disorders.
- Pediatric Pharmacists are available 24 hours a day to ensure safe and effective use of medication in children. Our specially-trained pharmacists work with physicians and other healthcare professionals to determine the best medication regimen and monitoring plan for your child. They are experts on the most up-to-date scientific research and provide advice on medications to physicians and families.
- Respiratory Care Practitioners evaluate and treat patients with breathing problems.