MEDICAL SPECIALISTS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR CARE TEAM

Gillette attracts the nation’s top surgeons and physicians in numerous specialties. Our medical staff is internationally recognized for excellence in surgical, medical and rehabilitative care. Drawn to Gillette by our deep expertise and extensive support services, our comprehensive teams offer a degree of specialization not found at other children’s hospitals.

• Adaptive equipment specialist/vendor of medical equipment: Evaluates a patient’s ability to use assistive technology devices; fits, fabricates or modifies equipment; and assesses equipment needs for home, work or school.

• Audiologist: Provides customized hearing assessments and diagnostic testing.

• Child life specialist: Helps children cope with hospitalization and medical procedures through therapeutic play and child-appropriate hospital tours. Specialists also meet with siblings (to address their questions and concerns) and involve patients and siblings in activities.

• Neurodevelopmental pediatrician: Provides consultations for the evaluation and diagnosis of children with neurological developmental disabilities.

• Neuropsychologist: Helps assess and treat developmental, medical, psychiatric, and neurological conditions or problems; might work with developmental pediatricians, pediatric neurologists, child psychiatrists, pediatricians, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists.

• Nurse: Provides care and comfort for patients and works together with other health care provideq. Nurses also educate patients and families on diagnoses, medicines, procedures and tests in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.

• Nurse practitioner: Performs physical exams and diagnostic tests, counsels patients, and develops treatment programs.

• Occupational therapist: Evaluates a patient’s fine motor skills, which might be limited due to spasticity or lack of motor control, and teaches patients how to use adaptive equipment for daily activities, such as feeding, dressing, writing, or accessing their environment. Occupational therapists also evaluate a patient’s need for power mobility devices and assist patients with cognitive skills related to memory and independence.

• Opthalmologist: Specializes in medical and surgical eye problems and addresses eye diseases, visual development and vision. An opthalmologist might do eye surgery to correct vision problems caused by conditions such as internal strabismus.

• Orthotist: Designs, fabricates and fits a wide variety of orthoses (braces) for upper and lower limbs, the spine and the hips.

• Pediatric nenurologist: Evaluates, diagnoses and treats neurological conditions. Pediatric neurologists manage seizures and collaborate with pediatric rehabilitation medicine physicians to recommend interventions for some associated conditions, such as learning, behavior and sensory issues.

• Pediatric neurosurgeon: Provides comprehensive surgical care for patients who have medical conditions that affect the spine, neck, nerves and/or brain. A pediatric neurosurgeon might perform surgeries such as selective dorsal rhizotomy or intrathecal baclofen pump implantation to reduce spasticity; implant shunts to reduce excessive fluid pressure in the brain; or implant vagus nerve stimulators to reduce the occurrence of seizures.

• Pediatric orthopedist: Examines a patient’s bones, muscle structure and joint movements in relation to posture, function and gait. An orthopedist might perform surgery to improve the function of a child’s legs or arms as he or she grows.

• Pediatric rehabilitation medicine physician: Specializes in rehabilitation services for children — including therapy, orthotics, and oral or injectable medicines, and recommends specialized equipment.

• Physical medicine and rehabilitation physician: Specializes in rehabilitation services for adults — including therapy, orthotics, and oral or injectable medicines, and recommends specialized equipment.

• Physical therapist: Evaluates patients’ function and abilities; recommends treatments that improve gross motor skills and help prevent problems, such as muscle contractures and loss of strength. By monitoring range of motion, strength and functional ability, physical therapists help patients increase their independence and mobility. Physical therapists also help families obtain assistive equipment, such as lifting devices and standing frames.

• Psychologist: Evaluates patients’ cognitive, academic and psychosocial abilities. Psychologists talk with patients and families about the effects of a disability and help children cope with pain and stress. Our specialists also contact patients’ schools to discuss special academic services or behavior-management strategies.

• Sleep health specialist: Evaluates and treats a range of sleep disorders. Testing might uncover coexisting conditions, such as seizures, that might accompany sleep issues.

• Social worker: Helps families determine strengths and needs, then identifies community resources for services that meet family needs; provides educational and emotional support to caregivers and families; helps families order special medical equipment; and assists with practical needs like lodging and transportation. Social workers also provide counseling for patients and families. Speech and Language Pathologist Evaluates a patient’s ability to communicate, assesses swallowing disorders, and recommends ways to promote safe eating and drinking. Speech and language pathologists also might evaluate a patient’s need for augmentative communication devices and help select appropriate equipment.

• Speech and language pathologist: Evaluates and treats communication and swallowing disorders. Speech and language pathologists evaluate cognitive communication and auditory processing. They help patients with impaired language development or aphasia improve language comprehension and production. They also help patients with communication disorders learn how to use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems, including speech-generating devices (SGDs).

• Therapeutic recreation specialist: Assesses the capabilities of patients and recommends programs to help develop healthy leisure lifestyles. Therapeutic recreation specialists provide leisure education, help develop leisure skills, and work with community resources to help patients increase their participation in recreational activities.