Meet the Health Care Team at Hasbro Children's Hospital

The doctor who will lead your child’s healthcare team, decide on necessary tests and coordinate a treatment plan with other team members. Resident and fellow physicians (MDs) will also care for your child. Residents are physicians who have graduated from medical school and are receiving post graduate training. Fellows are board certified pediatricians in training as specialists. Residents are directly responsible for the day-to-day care of patients, under the supervision of attending physicians. On duty 24 hours a day, residents are always available to answer questions concerning your child’s care.

Registered nurses provide your child’s daily care, and ensure your child’s comfort, safety and well-being. Among many other duties, your child’s nurse assesses and monitors his or her condition, checks your child’s vital signs, administers medications, answers questions and provides patient and family education.

Nurse practitioners have completed advanced nursing training in specific areas of pediatrics and are supervised by physicians. Nurse practitioners help your child’s physician with physical examinations and procedures, and also conduct assessments and order medications and treatments. 

An integral part of the multidisciplinary teams here at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. They assist children and families in multiple ways, including assessing areas of need and providing resources, identifying barriers and stressors associated with patient wellness, and ensuring empathetic and equitable patient care within their programs. Social workers help families cope with difficult situations, such as medical crises and adjustment to illness; emotional and psychological distress; loss and bereavement; and the impact of abuse and trauma. 

Certified child life specialists offer therapeutic play, preparation for procedures, education to reduce fear, anxiety, and pain and work in partnership with families and the healthcare team to meet the psychosocial, emotional, and developmental needs of infants, children, and adolescents. Family Advocates are parents whose children have received medical care here at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. In this peer support role, they partner with families and hospital staff to help enhance the patient and family experience. They offer hospital and community resources and facilitate our Family Advisory Council to bring the family perspective into every area of the hospital. 

Respiratory therapists evaluate and treat children with breathing disorders. They manage therapy to help your child recover lung function. They are able to administer medications in aerosol form to assist with breathing problems and help support respiratory function.

Registered dieticians watch for changes in your child’s appetite and weight and take care of special nutrition needs for food allergies, medical diet prescriptions, tube/ formula feedings and other conditions. Dieticians also provide nutritional counseling and education. 

Physical therapists work with your child to help improve strength and endurance, and regain mobility so that your child may be safely discharged from the hospital. The goal is to help your child function independently at home, school and in the community.

Occupational therapists work with your child on everyday activities such as dressing, feeding and participating in school and play activities. They also help your child progress toward age-appropriate developmental milestones.

Speech-language pathologists work with children of all ages, including infants, who have difficulties in the areas of communication and feeding/swallowing due to injury, illness, or developmental delays. Speech-language pathologists can improve a child’s understanding of language, help a child speak clearly, and help a child better express wants and needs.

A hospital school teacher is an experienced professional certified by the State of Rhode Island, who may maintain contact with your child’s school and will present material appropriate to your child’s academic needs during hospitalization. The teacher provides group classes and individual sessions for students in grades 6 to 12.

Patient care attendants are members of the treatment team whose role is to monitor patients for safety. They interact with patients to maintain safety but they do not provide physical care of the patient. PCAs usually sit with patients that are admitted to the medical units while awaiting admission to a psychiatric setting.

Pediatric behavioral interventionists are members of the care team whose role is to work with patients with behavioral and mental health issues. PBIs create a therapeutic environment for patients through the use of coping skills building, developing therapeutic relationships with their patients, and creating a safe space for healing to begin. Mental health workers will support your child in creating a therapeutic environment on the pediatric medical-psychiatric unit. Mental health workers facilitate therapeutic activities in groups and partner with the interdisciplinary team in the treatment of your child.