What happens in the PICU during a day?
The PICU nurses provide care during twelve-hour shifts. The day shift is from 6:45 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.; night shift from 6:45 p.m. to 6:45 a.m. The nurses give each other reports about your child’s needs and care at the beginning of each shift. Nurses in the PICU may have one or two patients to care for during their shifts. Every morning from 7:30 a.m. to approximately 10:30 a.m., the PICU health care team makes detailed rounds on each patient. Every patient is discussed to review the events of the previous day and to determine the plan for the upcoming day. Doctors, nurse practitioners, patient care nurses, respiratory therapist, dietitians, pharmacists, and social workers attend these rounds. It may be overwhelming at first to meet all of the people who are taking care of your child, but each member of the team is working together to provide for all of your child’s needs. During the course of the day, the doctors and nurse practitioners will make every effort to speak with you and revi
