On this week’s Facebook live, Katy Jones, R.N. joined us to take a tour of our inpatient unit where she explained the various amenities and activities offered to our patients after surgery. Below is a recap of the conversation.

The inpatient unit has 33 rooms and 52 beds. Most of the rooms are singles, however several rooms have double beds when the surgery schedule is busy.

Daily responsibilities of our inpatient nurses:

  • 12 hour shifts, day and night.
  • Taking care of patients coming in for surgery or those staying at the hospital long term waiting to receive surgery.
  • Nurses wake patients up to get the day going and take care of them throughout the day and night.

Some amenities available in an inpatient room:

  • Patient bed with side controls to put bed at a comfortable height and position.
  • Chair that extends to mini bed for one family member to stay overnight with patient.
  • Television with remote control.
  • Phone that connects to dietary to order meals for patients. All meal orders are based on doctor’s orders.
  • Bathroom including a toilet, shower and sink. Towels and soap provided, if needed.

Visiting hours on the inpatient unit:

  • 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
  • Typically, there is no limit on how many family members and friends who can visit.
  • One family member can stay with the patient in the inpatient room.

Dietary:

  • Only patients can order from the room.
  • Family members can get food from the Cafeteria. Our Cafeteria provides options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
  • As part of the admission process, nurses will go through a patient’s health history, medications and allergies to make sure dietary is prepared for their needs.
  • After surgery, the patient will begin eating ice chips to make sure their stomach can handle it. From there, the nurse will provide water, juice, crackers, etc. hours after surgery.

What is the average time for an inpatient to stay at the hospital?

  • Same day surgery – patient is admitted in the morning and discharged by the end of the day.
  • Some patients may stay for months at a time.
  • A few nights is the most typical length of stay in our inpatient unit.

What staff members visit the patients while in the room?

  • Nurse
  • Doctor
  • Patient care tech: the patient will see him or her most often to check vital signs and provide assistance to the bathroom, if needed.
  • Charge nurse
  • Respiratory therapy: breathing treatments, if needed.
  • Child life specialists
  • Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy, if needed.

Nursing station:

  • Nurses are stationed at these areas within the unit to stay close to their patient’s room.
  • All the nurses have mobile phones and patients can press the call button on the remote control if they need anything.

Room 306:

  • Also known as the spine unit.
  • Patients who need to be closely monitored after surgery come to this area.
  • Average time in Room 306: 1-2 days after surgery, however it depends on the patient.
  • This area includes five rooms with two to three nurses working at all times.
  • This part of the inpatient unit allows our nurses to have closer access to the patients who are needing more monitoring.

School room:

  • Patients who plan to stay at the hospital longer than two weeks can be enrolled into the school program.
  • A Dallas Independent School District (DISD) certified teacher is at the hospital to help patients from kindergarten to 12th grade.
  • Classes are based off the DISD schedule. Monday through Friday, four hours a day – two in the morning and two in the afternoon.
  • The inpatient unit coordinator sets up the transition from regular school to school at the hospital.

Family waiting area:

  • Multiple waiting areas throughout the hospital for families.
  • Family members can wait in the patient’s room, waiting area on the third or fourth floor or in the cafeteria.
  • Family members are given a buzzer to keep with them once their child goes into surgery. It is used to notify them when the surgery is complete and the patient is being moved to the inpatient unit.

Activities and therapies offered to the inpatients:

  • Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy
  • Therapeutic Recreation
  • Child Life provides fun activities for the patients during their time at the hospital Monday through Friday.
    • Arts and crafts
    • Games
    • Movies
    • Every Wednesday, PAWS Across Texas and Pet Partners come to the hospital to provide pet therapy to our patients.
    • If patients are unable to leave their room, Child Life will come to them.

What activities are available for inpatients in the evening?
Each night, volunteers will take the inpatients up the fourth-floor for activities before bedtime.
Patients can rent movies to watch in their room as well.

Learn more about Becoming a Patient at our hospital.