Nursing at Texas Children's Hospital
Patient care

Providing the finest possible patient care is an integral part of Texas Children’s mission, and nurses make significant contributions to this mission through the delivery of high-quality nursing care.

Care Role Model
The redesign of the patient care delivery process at Texas Children’s resulted in the development of the Care Role Model.

The model identified six specific roles needed in the delivery of quality patient care and clarified the responsibilities of each role. The goals of this model focus on improved quality of care and service, improved quality of work life for all patient-care providers and improved cost management. The Care Model has improved the quality of personnel to whom nurses delegate responsibilities and collaboration among all disciplines.

Practice councils
Practice councils provide an interdisciplinary forum for discussion and collaboration. These unit-based councils assess, plan, implement and evaluate practice policies, procedures and standards of care. The goal of these practice councils is to foster optimal productivity and to continually improve the quality of patient care.

Pain management
The consistent and effective management of children’s pain is critical to quality patient care. To ensure that Texas Children’s nurses are prepared to effectively manage children’s pain, an interdisciplinary team works to ensure a structured and consistent approach to pain management. The team functions in three subcommittees: data collection and protocol development; staff education; and patient and family education. A steering committee coordinates the efforts between the three subcommittees and monitors pain-management outcomes.

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Grief packet 
The death of a child is one of the most devastating events a family can experience. In the period surrounding a child’s death, families need immediate comfort and support. They also need information about the grieving process that will continue in the weeks and months to come. To address this need, a group of PICU nurses, family relations representatives, social workers, child life specialists and a chaplain developed a grief packet. The packet is reviewed with the family, while in the hospital, and then taken home. It contains mementos, such as footprints or handprints, as well as valuable information for parents, friends and relatives.

After Hours Call Center
The After Hours Call Center (AHCC) is responsible for managing patient and parent calls after hours for a group of subscribing pediatricians throughout Houston and the surrounding area. The department also fields all advice calls for the Texas Children’s Emergency Center. Registered nurses manage the AHCC using a computerized system based upon pediatric clinical decision-making algorithms approved by the medical director.

Children's camps
Texas Children's nurses volunteer their expertise at a variety of camps around the country designed to provide common childhood experiences to children with chronic illnesses. These camps give nurses an opportunity to interact with and care for children outside the hospital setting.