Hospital Medicine

They are Board Certified doctors who lead the team of doctors, nurses and other medical care team members while your child is hospitalized. Our team is on-site 24/7 and can quickly provide care if there is an emergency. The goal is to help your child recover so that their care is transferred back to your pediatrician after hospitalization.

A physician assistant (PA) may assist the doctor in providing your child’s medical care. A subspecialist doctor may be part of your child’s medical care team to offer recommendations based on their areas of expertise.

At Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, which is one of only a few accredited pediatric teaching hospitals in the U.S., your child’s medical care team may also have the benefits of a senior resident (a doctor in their final years of specialty medical training), an intern (a doctor in their first year of medical training after medical school) and a medical student in their third or fourth year of medical school. Interns and medical students are all under the supervision of a lead doctor.

Every day may be different, but a typical schedule looks like this:

6:30 - 8:30 a.m.: Residents and medical students begin visiting each patient to plan for the day’s care
9 - 11:30 a.m.: Your hospitalist will lead family-centered rounds with your entire medical care team to review each day’s plan of care.

Members of the team may stop by throughout the day to check on your child’s condition and answer any questions you may have. You are welcome to write down any questions and ask them as often as needed.

These are bedside visits that involve information sharing between your child’s medical care team and you. Other than your doctors, team members who may join include your nurse and others involved in your child’s care, such as pharmacists and nutritionists. Our goal is to make sure parents and caregivers are partners with the medical care team. Making decisions together is in the best interests of your child and family. These visits can also serve as teaching opportunities. This is the best time to ask your questions since many team members will be available to answer.

We will communicate with your child’s pediatrician so he or she knows what is happening while your child is in the hospital. Your child’s pediatrician is welcome to contact the hospitalist at any time to discuss your child’s plan of care.