Your child's care team

Your child may meet many new people while he or she is at the hospital. Below you'll find a list of who some of them are and what they do.

Doctors

Pediatrician: A doctor who is trained to give medical care to children.

Primary care provider: The doctor (or nurse practitioner) your child sees for checkups and sick visits. This may be your pediatrician.

Attending physician: The doctor who will oversee the medical team and your child's care. This may be your own private doctor or a doctor you will meet for the first time at the hospital.

Pediatric hospitalist: A pediatrician who works in the hospital. He or she works with your child's primary care provider. 

Consulting physician: A doctor who specializes in a specific area. This doctor may be asked by your hospitalist or primary doctor to help diagnose and treat your child.

Medical student, resident or intern: Most children also have a medical student and a resident or intern assigned to them. We are proud to be a teaching hospital, helping train pediatricians, nurses and other professionals. The hospital partners with the Medical College, many schools of nursing and other professional education programs.

Nurses

Registered nurse: A nurse who is educated and licensed by the state to provide health care and teach about health, the body, medical terms and medicines.

Children's Wisconsin is a Magnet-designated hospital. We have earned the nation's top nursing honor from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. That means our nurses are among the best.

Certified Pediatric Nurse: A certified pediatric nurse has taken a certification test and received professional recognition of specialty knowledge in the care of children.

Advanced Practice Nurse: A pediatric nurse practitioner has a master's degree in nursing, is certified in his or her specialty, such as pediatrics or family practice, and has received additional training to provide a wide range of services for patients. Advanced practice nurses:

• Do physical exams
• Order lab tests and X-rays
• Diagnose and treat health problems
• Prescribe medicines

Inpatient case manager: A nurse who works with our patient families and health care team to prepare for discharge. They can help you find services in the community. Our inpatient case manager works with your family's insurance company to make sure they have what they need to pay for the hospital stay. 

Other caregivers

Dietitians: They provide nutrition counseling and suggest meals for patients. They evaluate a child's nutritional needs and help families plan for changes in diet.

Care partner: A person who helps nurses check things like temperature, blood pressure, height and weight.

Chaplain: Chaplains offer spiritual support to children and their families.

Child life specialist: A person who helps children and their families cope. They do this by explaining what will happen using words your child understands. A child life specialist may use play and other activities to help your child get ready for medical procedures. 

Health unit coordinator: A person who can answer your non-medical questions. A HUC can be found at your unit's front desk.

Interpreter: A person with special training that speaks your same language and can help you and the care team understand each other.

Lactation consultant: A person who helps with breastfeeding information and support for nursing mothers.

Social worker: A person who is educated and licensed to help families deal with issues related to having a child who is sick or injured. Our social workers can help you with community referrals and financial resources.

People from laboratory, Imaging (Radiology) and other areas of the hospital also may be involved in your child's care.

Therapists

Physical therapist: A therapist trained to improve a patient's movement, balance and coordination.

Occupational therapists: They help children learn and improve daily living skills.

Respiratory therapist: A therapist trained to evaluate and provide treatment to children with breathing problems.

Speech therapist: A therapist trained to help children with speech and swallowing problems.