Your child's care team

Your child will be cared for by many people. Some of these people may work for other partner organizations such as ThedaCare and provide x-ray, pharmacy or lab services. Sometimes independent surgical physicians or family practice residency physicians will help care for your child.

At Children's Wisconsin, all staff members wear hospital ID badges. Each professional is specially trained to work with children of all ages.

• The attending physician, either a pediatric hospitalist or Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) physician, will oversee the medical team and your child’s care.
• Consulting physicians sometimes are asked to help with special medical concerns.
• Nurse practitioners.
• A nurse is assigned to your child at all times. Your child’s nurse will work with you to plan your child’s care. You may share some of your child’s care such as bathing, dressing and feeding. Your active involvement in caring for your child will help make your child feel more at ease in the hospital.

Other people may be involved in caring for your child. For example:

• Physical therapists help children with physical activity. This helps your child achieve their highest level of physical function
• Occupational therapists help children learn and improve daily living skills
• Respiratory care practitioners treat children who have breathing problems
• Dietitians provide nutritional counseling and recommend meals for patients
• Child life specialists use play to help children cope with being in the hospital
• Health unit coordinators perform tasks that support our medical staff and patients and their families
• Speech language pathologists (speech therapists) provide evaluation and correction of a variety of disorders and/or delays related to speaking and/or eating
• Chaplains (from ThedaCare Regional Medical Center) provide spiritual guidance to children and their families
• Social workers help with the physical, emotional and financial well-being of children and their families
• Volunteers can sit with your child or help provide child care for siblings when arranged in advance