Your Inpatient Care Team Around the Clock
When a patient is admitted to one of UPMC hospital campuses, it is important for them to know that they may not be seen by their primary care doctor while they are an inpatient. The doctor who cares for a patient when they are admitted to the hospital is called a hospitalist.
- We specialize in hospital medicine and only in hospitalized adult medical care.
- We care for you from admission to discharge and coordinate your care with nurses and other specialists if needed.
- We are available all day in the hospital to answer your questions.
- We communicate with your primary care provider.
What if I have questions after I am discharged from the hospital?
The hospitalist contacts your primary care doctor to let him or her know that you have been discharged and provides details on any necessary follow-up care. If you have questions, you may contact your primary care doctor’s office.
The Team Approach to Your Care
You have a team of caregivers that works to provide the highest level of care possible for you throughout your hospitalization. Caregivers are easily identified by their badges with their name and titles.
Medical Staff Providers
- Attending physician: The primary physician responsible for your care.
- Hospitalist: Physician who specializes in the care of patients from admission through discharge.
- Resident physician: Physician in our Family Medicine Residency program who works with your attending physician.
- Medical student: Student of a teaching facility, who works with your physicians and also may be part of your medical care team.
- Physician assistant (PA): A certified advanced practice provider who works under the direction of a physician.
- Certified registered nurse practitioner (CRNP or NP): A certified advanced practice provider who prescribes and administers medications, performs physical examinations, interprets laboratory studies and provides treatment.
Nursing Staff
- Nurse manager: A nurse who oversees administration and patient care, and has responsibility for the nursing staff 24 hours a day.
- Registered nurse (RN): A nurse who provides professional care, administers medications, provides patient and family education as part of care and treatment, and keeps a patient informed about tests and procedures.
- Licensed practical nurse (LPN): A nurse who works under the supervision of an RN and delivers technical nursing, such as administering medications and providing treatments.
- Patient care assistant: An individual who works under the supervision of an RN and provides routine care, such as taking vital signs, helping with meals and personal bathing.
Other Care Coordinators
- Social worker: An individual who assists patients and their families with understanding the hospital environment, provides counseling for emotional, financial and social issues, and coordinates discharge services.
- Case manager: A registered nurse who works to maintain continuity of patient care from admission to discharge based on individual patient- and family-centered plans of care. This also arranges community-based resources after discharge.
