Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is a 24 bed medical/surgical unit. It offers 22 single/private rooms and one semi-private room to our patients and families. We are also able to provide isolation with negative and positive pressure airflow capabilities. The PICU is a highly specialized area of expertise requiring astute assessment skill, development of critical thinking while understanding the implications of growth and development on physiologic and pathophysiologic process. The PICU provides an environment for safe, effective, 24-hours nursing care to critically ill patients with and emphasis on:
- The restoration of patients’ maximum state of health and wellness
- Utilizing Evidence Based Practice with cutting edge technology
- Making Quality our standard
- Promoting Families as Partners in caring for our patients
- Providing a supportive environment for patients and their families to meet their unique medical and psycho-social needs
The PICU focuses on creating an environment in which 24-hours medical care is provided to critically ill patients while incorporating each child’s primary caregivers and essential participants in decision making. Continually working on our family-centered care process helps each health care team member in being sensitive and responsive to diversity across ethnic, geographic, age and economics lines as well as in meeting the unique needs of each child and family.
Patient Population:
The patient population of this unit consists of patients of all ages from infancy to adulthood. Some of the various diagnoses that are treated in PICU include:
- Neurosurgical patients including patients with traumatic brain injuries
- Patients requiring continuous dialysis
- Critically ill burn patients
- Patients with critical respiratory issues
- Patients with metabolic and endocrine abnormalities
- Patients needing liver and kidney transplants
- Patients requiring short stays in the PICU such as; spinal fusions, craniotomies, and pectus repairs
- Using a multidisciplinary approach PICU is able to treat the patient and family as a whole.
PICU South Team:
- Physicians
- Registered Nurses
- Nurse Practitioners
- Registered Dieticians
- Social Workers
- Pastoral Services
- Child Life Specialist
- Physical/Occupational Therapists
- Pharmacist Clinical
- Nurse Educator
- Patient Care Associates
- Transplant Coordinators
- PICU Parent Liaison
- Unit Secretaries
The day-to-day operation of the unit is a coordination and cooperative effort by the charge nurse and the medical team both displaying leadership qualities and clinical expertise. There is a total of 100 team members in PICU consisting of a Nurse Manager, Assistant Nurse Managers, Relief Charge Nurses, Clinical Educator, Parent Liaison, Staff Nurses, Patient Care Associates and Unit Secretaries.
PICU Leadership Team:
- Nurse Manager
- Medical Director
- Assistant Nurse Managers
- Nurse Practitioners
- Clinical Nurse Educator
- Relief Charge Nurses
Continuing Education:
- All staff is certified in the American Heart Association CPR and complete all unit competencies and hospital mandatories.
- Each staff nurse must be PALS certified and attend eight hours of trauma classes annually.
- All new employees are required to obtain sixteen hours of certified trauma training in their first year of employment.
Nursing Achievements:
- 2004 Young Investigators Award
- 2005 Barbara Cole Quality Award
- 12 Staff Nurses CCRN certified
- Several Poster Presentations at National and International conferences by staff nurses and APNs
- 2004 Five-Star Customer Service Award from the Professional Research Consultants
- 2005 an award from the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration for meeting the National Goal of 75% Organ Donation rate
