A Loving Environment Focused on Healing
The Inpatient Pediatric Unit at Rochester General Hospital provides consistent, supportive, and nurturing family-centered care. Our state-of-the-art pediatric care meets the physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of our patients and their families. Our goal is to maintain an environment conducive to healing, and one that is reflective of trust, honesty, and respect for our patients, families, and staff.
Call (585) 922-5085 to Schedule a Tour
The Pediatric Care Team
Highly skilled and experienced professionals are involved in your child?s care throughout their hospital stay and consist of pediatricians, nurses, social workers, behavioral health professionals, and more.
Pediatricians
Your child?s doctor, often referred to as the attending physician, supervises your child?s care during their stay. The attending physician may be assisted by other physicians on the hospital?s staff. Our team consists of board-certified pediatricians and resident physicians who have completed additional years of advanced training to become specialists in pediatric medicine. Our physicians are available 24-hours a day.
Nurses
A Registered Nurse (RN) with pediatric expertise is assigned to care for your child. Every effort is made for the same nurse to care for your child throughout your child?s hospital stay. Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) will also assist in your child?s care. Your child?s nurse can answer any questions you may have about your child?s illness and treatment. All staff is pediatric-trained and are all PALS certified (Pediatric Advanced Life Support).
Social Workers
Social workers help patients and families cope with problems that often accompany an illness. In addition to providing counseling for emotional concerns, social workers put you in touch with community agencies that can assist you with transportation, finances, and other services that may be necessary once your child returns home. Let your child?s nurse know if you?d like to speak with a social worker.
Mental Health Team
A hospital stay can take a toll on the mental well-being of children and caregivers. Our child psychiatrists and family and pediatric psychologists are on hand and available to help your family and your child cope with their hospital stay.
Additional Health Care Professionals
Physical, occupational, respiratory, and speech therapists are available to help care for your child as needed. We also have registered dietitians available to assess your child?s nutritional needs and plan their meals to ensure they?re receiving all the nutrients they need to heal.
While Your Child is an Inpatient
You can rest assured that your child and your family will be looked after when receiving care at the Inpatient Pediatric Unit at Rochester General Hospital. Here?s everything you need to know about what happens when your child is an inpatient.
Everything your child needs, including pajamas, diapers, and personal hygiene items, is provided by the hospital. Younger children often feel more comfortable when they have familiar items from home. We encourage you to bring your child’s favorite toy, stuffed animal, slippers, pajamas, blanket, or any other beloved belongings.
Your child’s meals will be served at 7:30 am, 11:30 am, and 4:30 pm. If your child has special likes, dislikes, dietary restrictions, or if you would like to bring food from home, please discuss this with your child’s nurse and dietitian. There is a refrigerator and microwave oven available if you bring food from home, and there is a standard pediatric menu posted in your child’s room.
For infants, baby food and formula are kept on the unit around the clock. We encourage parents to feed their infants. For breastfeeding mothers, milk and juices are available to you on the unit, and we provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner that will be delivered to your child’s room. Your child’s nurse will help you express and store your breast milk.
Play is an important part of your child’s life. Play can help take their minds off medical problems and relieve stress. Toys and games are commonly used to teach young patients about their surgery and to acquaint them with medical equipment. The Inpatient Pediatric Unit has a variety of toys, games, grafts, and video games for pediatric patients. These can be used in the Play Room (across from the Parent’s Lounge) or at your child’s bedside. Books for all reading levels are also available in the Play Room.
Parents and caregivers may visit a pediatric patient anytime—morning, day, or night. We provide sleeper beds so that one parent or caregiver can sleep in their child’s room, if desired. Shower facilities, towels, and toiletry items are available for parents who stay overnight.
Friends or family aged 14+ may visit between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm. Because children are more likely to carry infections, siblings and friends under age 14 must have the approval of your child’s nurse before visiting.
To contact the Nurse’s Station, please call (585) 922-4067. Even if you’re away from your child’s room or outside the hospital, you can still call and talk to your child’s nurse anytime by calling the Nurse’s Station telephone number.
If you want to speak to a patient staying at the hospital, call the Patient Information line at (585) 922-4000.
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If your child is hospitalized for an extended period of time (usually two weeks or longer), a social worker can help arrange for tutoring. Treatment is scheduled around the patient’s tutoring schedule.
In addition to the information provided by the nurses and doctors, the Pediatric Unit has several ways for you and your child to learn about your child’s illness:
- The Robert E. Butler Patient Library located on the Pediatric Unit has books and brochures which explain various medical problems and treatments
- The Wellness Information Center located in the Werner Medical Library on the 1st floor, or you may call (585) 922-WELL
- Opportunities to meet with members of your child’s care team can always be arranged
- Videos on health topics are available for viewing on the Pediatric Unit. Topics include growth and development, safety, asthma, diabetes, and lead poisoning prevention
- You and your child are welcome to come in for a tour of the Pediatric Unit before their hospitalization. Call the Nurse Manager at (585) 922-5085 to arrange a tour.
Going Home
Before your child is discharged, we will discuss the care they will need at home. Please let your nurse know as early as possible if you or your child will need any special assistance at home, such as transportation for doctor?s appointments, help with filling prescriptions, or help caring for your other children. A social worker can put you in touch with community agencies that offer these services.
We welcome any comments or suggestions for ways to better serve our patients and their families. Please feel free to share your thoughts directly with your child?s nurse or with the director of nursing on the Pediatric Unit.