Your Health Care Team
At Saints, many team members work together to provide you with the best care possible during your hospital stay. These may include:
Attending Physician – the doctor who is ultimately responsible for a patient’s care and directs the patient’s health care team.
Hospitalist – a doctor who specializes in the care of hospitalized patients. A hospitalist serves as the patient’s primary care provider during the hospital stay and remains in close contact with the patient’s own physician to provide the best and most coordinated care. The patient is returned to the care of his/her own PCP upon discharge.
Physician Assistant (PA) – a graduate of an approved school who works under the general direction of a supervising physician to provide specific diagnostic and therapeutic services.
Nurse Practitioner (NP) – a registered nurse with advanced education who collaborates with a supervising physician to provide diagnostic and therapeutic care and education to patients.
Registered Nurse (RN) – a nurse with the education and licensing to plan, coordinate and provide nursing care.
Nurse Manager – an experienced registered nurse who provides leadership on the patient care unit.
Clinical Nurse Specialist – a registered nurse with advanced education in a clinical specialty who serves as a consultant, educator and researcher.
Nurse Clinician – a registered nurse with advanced education who is a clinical resource to the staff nurses for nursing procedures and education.
Nursing Supervisor – an experienced registered nurse who is the administrative manager responsible for overseeing patient care issues during the evening and night shifts.
Patient Care Assistant (PCA ) – a member of the care team who assists in technical and support duties for patient care.
Pharmacist – a licensed professional responsible for providing the correct medication for patients, in the correct form, the correct dose and at the right time.
Rehabilitation Specialist – a physical, occupational or speech therapist who helps restore function and prevents or limits permanent physical disabilities.
Registered Dietitian (RD) – a registered dietitian is a licensed professional who provides medical nutrition intervention to assist patients in the healing process.
Social Worker – a care team member who helps with personal, family, financial, emotional or other issues related to hospitalization, and helps to arrange for transition to short and long-term care facilities, if needed.
Care Coordinator – a care team member who works with patients to plan post-discharge care, including home care services, follow-up appointments and, if necessary, placement in a long-term care facility.
