Nursing specialty areas
At Children's Memorial nurses may choose from a full range of pediatric specialty areas to work, develop, and expand their clinical practice. Click on the specialty areas listed below to learn more about each unique patient care area, common types of patient diagnoses, the nursing orientation, and resources available. For information regarding positions available in the specialty areas, see our job listings.
6 West Organ Transplant and Orthopaedic Inpatient Unit
Virtual Tour
Children of all ages who have diseases of the liver, kidney, and the gastrointestinal tract receive their care on this 22 bed unit. This includes those who have or may need transplants of the liver, kidney, and small intestine. The common diagnosis on this unit iclude: biliary atresia, failure to thrive, nephritic syndrome, end stage kidney disease, short gut syndrome. Nurses provide peritoneal dialysis for their patients at the bedside. Nurses work closely with the care team to meet the special needs and provide comprehensive education to patients and families.
Orientation length: Internship 4 months; 6 week individualized orientation for experienced nurses
Orientation classes: Renal and liver
Unit resources:Transplant nurse educator, liver and renal disease manual
7 West General Medical and Infectious Disease Unit
7 West is a 23-bed unit designed to serve the isolation needs of te hospital. All of the rooms provide negative airflow ventilation and are appropriate placement for certain communicable diseases (example: chicken pox or tuberculosis). Patients requiring isolation for any condition have priority for admission to 7 West.
7 West serves general medical and infectious disease patients of all ages. 8 beds are utilized for neonatal intensive care "graduates". The unit has 13 single-bed rooms used primarily for isolation purposes, one 2 bed room and 2 four-bed rooms which are used for patients transferred from the NICU.
Nurses use a family centered approach in identifying patient needs and care management plans.
9 West Allergy/Pulmonary/Transitional Care Unit
This unit has 22 beds for pulmonary, allergy, and general medicine patients and an 8-bed transitional care unit (TCU) for patients with ventilator needs. In the TCU the nurses closely monitor these patients and assist in transitioning these children into their home environment. Common diagnoses include asthma/reactive airway disease, cystic fibrosis, chronic lung disease such as bronchial pulmonary dysplasia and general medical disorders.
Orientation length: Internship 4 months; Experienced 6 to 8 weeks
Orientation classes: Asthma, pulmonary, and transitional care
Unit resources: Clinical educator, asthma educator, and advanced practice nurses
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Virtual Tour
The nurses in this 42-bed unit provide care for acutely ill infants and children who require close monitoring and life support systems. PICU nurses become skilled in the use of sophisticated monitoring devices, an extensive computerized charting system, and are active participants in progressive medical therapies. These nurses participate in a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of patients and their families following open heart surgery, organ transplantation, multiple trauma, various respiratory illnesses and catastrophic illness.
Orientation length: Internship 6 months; Experience 8 to 12 weeks
Orientation classes: Transplant, cardiovascular, neurology, respiratory, medical skills
Unit resources: Clinical educator, advanced practice nurses
3 West Neuromuscular/Endocrine Inpatient Unit
This 24-bed unit treats newborn through adolescent patients who have congenital, acquired physical or developmental handicaps that may require surgery, physical therapy or long-term medical treatment. Infants and children with spina bifida, increased intracranial pressure, hydrocephalus, brain and spinal cord tumors, head injuries, seizures and other neurological, and neurosurgical diagnoses are cared for by skilled nurses. Patients with new-onset diabetes who present with diabetic ketoacidosis are also admitted to this unit. Nurses in this unit have the opportunity to work with members of highly skilled specialty teams and provide care that addresses patient's developmental, psychosocial and cultural needs.
A four-bed observation area is a self contained part of the Neuromuscular unit. In this area, patients receive continuous video electroencephalogram monitoring. Nurses care for children from infancy to adolescence and young adults with chronic intractable epilepsy. The most common admitting diagnoses are intractable epilepsy and seizure disorders.
Orientation length: Internship 4 months; Experience length varies
Unit resources: Clinical Educator, advanced pratice nurses
Children's Memorial Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases
This center offers a family-centered, multidisciplinary approach to providing the highest quality diagnostic and treatment services for children and adolescents with cancer, hematologic and immunologic disorders and bone marrow transplant. A specialty inpatient unit consists of 22 beds, six of which are devoted to pediatric bone marrow transplant and feature the latest technology for caring for immunosuppressed patients. The hematology/oncology out-patient center and the Chicago White Sox Day Hospital provide a setting for comprehensive out-patient care for children with acute and chronic illness. Services include medical examinations, blood tests and diagnostic procedures, chemotherapy and blood transfusions, intravenous hydration, and administration of medications in a comfortable atmosphere designed to receive assessment and treatment by the team in one location. Social workers, child life therapists and chaplains are involved on a daily basis to provide patients and families with psychological and social support needed. In addition, special events and parent support groups are encouraged.
Orientation length: Internship 4 months; Experience 6 to 12 weeks
Orientation classes: Introduction to Hematology/Oncology, APON Chemotherapy Certification, Stem Cell Transplant Class (6-18months from start date).
Unit resources: Clinical educator, Staff Development Specialist, Advanced Practice Nurses, Clinical Managers and Nursing Director.
5 West Pediatric Surgery/Cardiology and Telemetry Unit
This 26-bed inpatient unit provides care to cardiac and surgical patients that require intermediate care including frequent assessments, vital signs and possible continuous inotropic infusions. Common diagnoses on 5 West include: congenital heart disease, pyloric stenosis, pre/post heart transplant, cardiac catheterization, interventional catheterization, radiofrequency ablation, Hirschsprung disease, trauma, tracheostomy, and plastic reconstruction. Nurses care for children from infancy to adolescence and collaborate with nurse specialists and the multidisciplinary team to provide care.
Orientation length: Internship 4 months; Experience 6 to 12 weeks; varies with experience
Orientation classes: Cardiology, EKG, pediatric surgery
Unit resources: Clinical educator, advanced practice nurses
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Virtual Tour
The 50-bed NICU is part of the perinatal Northwestern Healthcare Network. The nurses balance the complexity of “high tech” with “high touch.” Babies are referred to Children's Memorial from other Chicago hospitals and throughout the midwest. Nurses in this unit provide care that encompasses all of the specialty services Children's Memorial offers, including neonatology, general surgery, extracoporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), cardiology, and genetics. Nurses experience collegial relationships with physicians and other multidisciplinary team members in the provision of developmentally focused infant care and anticipatory guidance for parents.
Orientation length: Internship 6 months; Experience 8 to 12 weeks
Orientation classes: General NICU, computerized charting, prematurity, respiratory, surgical, respiratory emergency, observation experiences (ECMO, OR, Transport), neonatal resuscitation provider
Unit resources: Clinical educator, advanced practice nurses, NICU pharmacist, developmental specialist, NICU core curriculum book
Transport Team (Children's Memorial Service Board Transport Program)
Transport nurses are ready at a moment's notice to transport seriously ill or injured infants and children to Children's Memorial by ground or air transport, 24 hours a day/7 days a week. In fiscal year 2005, the transport team transported 1,371 patients. These nurses are skilled in IV insertion, arterial punctures, intubation, and chest tube insertion. They are certified in pediatric advanced life support, neonatal resuscitation, and advanced cardiac life support. Nurses on the team learn and develop by taking advantage of a wide variety of educational programs and by providing educational programs to referring hospitals.
Orientation length: Based on experience, 12 weeks minimum
Orientation classes: All PICU classes
Unit resources: Emergency Department and resuscitation educator
Emergency Department
This 18-bed unit includes two trauma rooms and is a designated City of Chicago and State of Illinois Level I trauma center which treats some 50,000 children a year. Nurses in this unit care for children with a wide range of diagnoses, ranging from multiple illnesses to the most severe multiple traumas.They are certified on Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Adult Cardiac Life Support, Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course and Trauma Nursing Care Course. The Urgent Care Center located adjacent to the Emergency Department sees more than 45 patients a day for non-acute illnesses and injuries. The professional nurses work collegially with physicians, paramedics, respiratory therapists, and social workers to triage and provide care.
Orientation length: Internship 6 months; Experience 6 to 8 weeks
Orientation classes: Fluid and electrolytes, sedation, managing the trauma patient, child abuse/sexual assault, diabetic ketoacidosis, fever in the neonate, rapid sequence intubation, managing the adult patient in the pediatric E.D., sickle cell disease, restraint and seclusion, neurology patient, fever and neutropenia.
Unit resources: Clinical educators
Resource Team
Full-time and part-time nurses who enjoy all personnel benefits. The Resource Team is a team of nurses who provide supplemental staffing to all inpatient areas of the hospital in response to increased acuity, census, and staffing fluctuations. The team provides units the opportunity to maximize staffing and scheduling flexibility, while minimizing overtime, incentive pay and agency usage.
Orientation length: Internship 6 months; Experienced RN - variable
Orientation classes: PALS, NRP, STABLE, ACLS, unit based classes.
Team Resources: Clinical educator, preceptors, and manager
Preoperative Services - Ambulatory Surgery Unit
In the Ambulatory Surgery setting, children of all ages are prepared for a variety of surgical procedures. The ambulatory surgery nurse provides pre-op teaching, pre- and post-anesthetic surgical care, discharge planning and education to surgical patients and their families.
Orientation length: Experience 6 to to 8 weeks
Unit resources: Clinical educator / Preceptor / Clinical manager
Operating Room
Children's Memorial has 13 OR suites in which approximately 11,000 procedures are performed each year. The pediatric surgical services that are offered include cardiovascular, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, pediatric general surgery urology, orthopaedic, dental and transplant surgery.
Orientation length: Internship, 9 months; experience, competency-based
Orientation classes: Preoperative nursing curriculum for new graduates and nurses without OR experience
Unit resources: Clinical educators / Surgical specialist / Preceptors
Post-Anesthesia Care Unit
Children's Memorial's PACU is a monitored unit that provides critical evaluation and stabilization of sedated/post-operative patients. The PACU nurses are proficient in managing post-anesthetic, post-surgical and critical care patients.
Orientation length: Experience, 6 to 8 weeks
Unit resources: Clinical educator /Preceptor / Clinical manager
Outpatient Surgery
A growing number of children of all ages are treated in this area for a variety of surgical procedures. Nurses in this area provide pre-op teaching, admission instructions, post-anesthetic and post-surgical recovery, discharge planning, and education for surgical patients and their families.
Orientation length: 6 to 8 weeks
Unit resources: Clinical educator
Child Psychiatry
This family-oriented, short-term unit treats patients from preschool through 16 for a variety of emotional, behavioral and developmental disorders, including childhood depression, suicidal ideation, psychoses, eating disorders, learning disabilities, dual medical/psychiatric diagnoses, and family relationship problems. Nurses in this unit work with a variety of other health care professionals, including milieu therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, clinical educators, recreation/occupational therapists and speech therapists to provide comprehensive services to emotionally disturbed children and their families.
Orientation length: 4 to 8 weeks
Orientation classes: Crisis prevention intervention training
Unit resources: Senior staff, manuals
Outpatient Department
Outpatient services encompasses more than 40 pediatric specialties including such services as hematology, oncology, cardiology, orthopedics, endocrinology, gastroenterology, medical, ophthalmology, allergy, and neurology. Nurses in the outpatient department treat a variety of patients and are involved in health supervision, family education, and promotion of continuity of care for a culturally and socioeconomically diverse patient population. Outpatient nursing staff members collaborate with the medical staff and other members of the health care team in coordinating care for both well and chronically ill children.
Orientation length: 2 to 16 weeks, depending on the outpatient service
Unit resources: Clinical educator