Your Health Care Team

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nurse-practioner

Whether it's a trip to your pediatrician, specialist or urgent care, a day visit for outpatient treatment, or a stay at our medical center, there may be many people involved in your child's care. Below is a quick list of some of the people you may meet.

Child Life Specialists: Helping patients and families understand and cope with diagnoses and treatments.
Nutrition and dietitian services: Support for patients and families with special dietary needs.
Patient representatives: Our goal is to foster trust between patients, families and staff.
Home Health practitioners: Providing services in the comfort of your child's home.
Nursing team: Our award-winning nurses deliver the highest level of care possible.
Advanced practice providers: Nurses with advanced degrees providing better access to quality care.
Physicians: Brilliant pediatric specialists with one focus ... your child.
Hospitalists: Pediatric specialist who monitor your child during a medical center stay.
Language and interpreter services: Interpreters help overcome communicaiton barriers between families and staff.
Therapists: There are many types of therapy available at Cook Children's.
Pharmacists: Cook Children's pharmacists specialize in pediatric care.
Chaplain and spiritual care: Our spiritual care team is here to offer comfort to families of all faiths.
Social Services: Helping families cope with emotional and financial stress.
Clinical researchers: Cook Children's is actively involved in pediatric clinical trials.

Who you'll usually see

Doctors check your child and decide what tests, medicine and treatments your child needs. Your child might have more than one doctor, depending on their diagnosis.
Nurse practitioners work with doctors and the rest of the health care team to diagnose and treat your child. A nurse practitioner can also prescribe medications and other treatments.
Nurses record your child's medical history and symptoms, help perform tests and give medicine. Your nurse will also teach you about your child's illness or injury.

Who you might see

Hospitalists are board eligible and board certified pediatricians who specialize in caring for patients while they are admitted to Cook Children's Medical Center. A hospitalist will see your child daily and is available 24 hours a day to manage any urgent medical needs of hospitalized children.
Clinical educators help teach you about your child's diagnosis and treatment. All members of the health care team provide education, but a clinical educator may be called for more difficult medical needs.
Clinical pharmacists work with doctors and nurses to make sure your child gets the right medicine.
Retail pharmacists at Cook Children's specialize in pediatric prescriptions and can save you time by filling your child's prescriptions while you're at the Dodson center, medical center or the urgent care clinic located on our main campus.
Care partners help nurses care for your child. They take temperatures, change bed sheets, help with baths and more.
Child Life specialists help your child cope with stress and anxiety through play and education. Your Child Life specialist also talks to brothers, sisters and other family members about their feelings and the challenges they face. They give your child toys, plan fun activities and play with patients to keep their normal growing and learning on track.
Respiratory therapists give therapy to children when they are having trouble breathing. They work closely with doctors and nurses to treat and educate children and parents about breathing problems.
Rehabilitation therapists help children overcome physical, mental and emotional challenges and may include one or more from the following areas, depending on your child's diagnosis and needs: occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language therapy, audiology and transitional care. Find out more about Cook Children's Rehabilitation Services.
Radiologists may take X-rays, scans and ultrasounds to help your doctor treat your child's illness or injury. The nurses, technologists and Child Life specialists are led by doctors specializing in pediatric radiology. Find more information on Cook Children's Radiology Imaging department.
Interventional radiologists are medical doctors who performs minimally invasive treatments and surgeries in combination with X-rays, scans and ultrasounds. Cook Children's radiology team is uniquely trained in pediatric care.
Lab technicians carry out laboratory tests ordered by your child's doctor. This may include taking blood, collecting samples and more.
Anesthesiologists give children medicine to put all or part of their body to sleep in order to prevent pain during surgery or procedures.
Dietitians help with menu choices and discuss food choices and special nutritional needs with you and your child. Depending on your child's diagnosis, you may see a dietitian in a specific specialty clinic, or you may visit with a dietitian in Nutrition Services.
Clinical researchers apply leading-edge scientific knowledge, technology and evidence-based practice to improve quality care outcomes for children.
Home health caregivers provide quality, patient-centered care within your child's home environment. Our pediatric trained caregivers also offer prosthetics and orthotics and are experts at fitting children, teens and young adults. Find out more about Cook Children's Home Health and our locations.

Support Services

In addition to the medical team, members of our support staff may also be involved in your child's care. They include:

Case managers review patient cases and are assigned, as needed, to families who need help getting medical services or equipment at home. Your case manager may work with you and your insurance company to make sure the payment procedure is followed.
Social workers provide support, counseling and resources for you and your child. A social worker can also help you apply for aid through Medicaid, SSI, early childhood intervention and other programs.
Patient representatives are here to make sure you have the most positive experience possible. They can help if you have a concern and/or comments about your visit. If you have a concern, visit our patient representatives.
Interpreters are available any time. Ask your child's nurse if you need an interpreter.
Librarians in the Family Health Library can help you find up-to-date and easy-to-read information about your child's condition, diagnosis, treatment and procedures.
Parent mentors provide support and encouragement to families with a new diagnosis, disability or other medical concern. Parent mentors are matched with families who share similar situations or have the same diagnosis or health care need. If you are interested in speaking with a parent mentor, call our parent advisor at 682-885-5480. You can also learn more about Cook Children's parent mentor program and how it can help you, or how you can get involved.
Volunteers are available to help you find your way in the building, sit with your child if you need a break or when visiting one our support groups, and they provide support to our staff throughout the medical center.
Fort Worth ISD teachers bring the classroom to your child to help keep up with school work and to provide a sense of normalcy. These teachers serve children who are in our medical center for extended stays. Get more information about Cook Children's school program and the important role it plays in a child's care.
Chaplains at Cook Children's are specially trained in the needs of pediatric patients, family and staff members of all cultures, faiths and walks of life. Our chaplains provide spiritual support and comfort to those seeking meaning while facing difficult times. They're also happy to connect you with spiritual members in your chosen belief. Learn more about the Spiritual Care services our chaplains provide.
Therapy dogs from Cook Children's Sit…Stay….Play resident dog program bring warm and fuzzy hugs and healing presence to our patients and families here at the medical center and in our Dodson Specialty Clinics. Meet the therapy dogs in our Sit…Stay….Play program.