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PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (PICU) INTRODUCTION

Purposes 1. The provision of specialized care for children with critical illness which may best be provided by concentrating these patients in areas under the supervision of skilled and specially trained team of physicians and nurses. 2. The continuing education of health-care team members. Administrative Structure The Medical Directors of the PICU are Dr. Dana Braner and Dr. Laura Ibsen. Attending Pediatrics Intensivists are Dr. Dana Braner, Dr. Laura Ibsen, Dr. Miles Ellenby, Dr. Ken Tegtmeyer, Dr. Aileen Kirby, and Dr. Bob Steelman. The Pediatric Intensivists are the primary caretakers (medical patients), or consultants (surgical patients), for each patient admitted to the PICU. There is an intensivist in house 24 hours/day. The Clinical Manager of the PICU is Christine Pierce. She supervises the nursing and administrative staff of the unit and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the unit. Nursing Staff 1. General organization. The PICU nursing staff consists of RNs and appropriate ancillary personnel. Nursing assignments and acuity decisions are made by the nursing staff. If parents make a request to you that relates to nursing staffing, please inform the charge nurse. 2. Continuing education of the nursing staff. An on-going program of education in pediatric intensive care nursing has been the responsibility of the nursing service. In addition, appropriate seminars discussing subjects of pertinence in pediatric intensive care have been and will continue to be organized with physician participation. This will be an effort to maintain and further the critical care skills of nursing personnel in the PICU. Respiratory Care The personnel of PICU will work jointly with the Director of Respiratory Therapy so that optimum respiratory care may be provided. The respiratory therapy staff are responsible for setting up and maintaining the ventilators, delivering respiratory treatments, and assisting with patient care that involves respiratory care (i.e., suctioning). Pediatric Respiratory Therapists rotate through the PICU, DNCC, and the floors. Physicians and Students A PL-3 and PL-2 are assigned to the PICU, and they with the Pediatric Critical Care staff and other services will care for all pediatric patients. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is available to all pediatric patients regardless of the service primarily responsible for the child. Other physicians who may rotate through the PICU include PICU fellows, cardiology fellows, pediatric anesthesia fellows, surgical fellows, and emergency medicine interns. Cardiology fellows should supervise the care of cardiac surgery and cardiology patients.

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