About Your Stay
Meet the Members of Your Health Care Team
You will benefit from the experience and expertise of a highly specialized health care team when you’re a patient at UC Davis Medical Center.
You can identify the members of your health care team by their badges, which always include their names, job titles and photographs. You will notice team members also wear differently colored uniforms, depending on their role in your care.
If you have questions about the role of any member of your health care team, please ask. You have the right to know who is taking care of you.
Team members you will meet during your stay:
Attending physician
Your attending physician has primary responsibility for overseeing your care. They will visit you regularly to discuss your condition, assess your progress and direct the other members of your team.
Nurses
You receive care from highly trained registered nurses. Many have advanced degrees and nursing specialty certifications. The medical center has achieved Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which is considered the highest national honor for nursing excellence.
Nurse practitioners
A nurse practitioner is an advanced practice provider who can order medications, tests, and treatments and can answer many of your questions about your clinical care.
Allied health professionals
Pharmacists, lab technicians, dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, respiratory specialists, speech and language pathologists, social workers and others may be involved in your care.
Support staff
You also may receive assistance from volunteers, chaplains, dietetic assistants, unit service coordinators, interpreters and patient escorts.
UC Davis Medical Center is a teaching hospital, which helps train the next generation of health care professionals. This means UC Davis provides academic instruction at the medical center to people at various stages of their medical training. These individuals may be a part of your team, and your doctor may bring them to your bedside to teach them about the condition you have and the care that is needed. This process of sharing knowledge is called “rounds.” It is a routine part of medical training. You can use rounds as an opportunity to learn more about your condition.
Interns, residents, and fellows
These are medical school graduates who are completing additional training in a specific specialty. They may provide care under various levels of attending supervision.
Medical students
Students may be involved in your case as part of their clinical training.
You also will have a primary nurse assigned to your care. UC Davis uses the primary nursing model to provide relationship-based nursing care. You will be assigned a primary nurse responsible for providing and coordinating your care.
When your primary nurse is not available, an associate nurse will care for you. Your primary and associate nurses work together to ensure we meet your needs.
Your primary nurse:
- Works with you, your family, your physicians and your health care team to develop a care plan that will work best for you.
- Coordinates your care throughout your stay and provides instructions for other nursing staff caring for you.
- Prepares you and your family for discharge by teaching you about your healthcare needs and resources.
What you can do
- Communicate your concerns and preferences directly to your primary nurse.
- Ask questions about your medications and treatments.
- Welcome and encourage your family’s active involvement. Share with us how you would like for them to be included.
Communicating With Your Health Care Team
Open communication between you and your health care team is important to ensure the best possible care. We encourage you to actively participate in every decision about your care and treatment plan. If you have any special needs, don’t hesitate to communicate them.
Tell us how to refer to you
Let your team know what you would like to be called (whether it is Mr. or Mrs., a nickname, or even Rob instead of Robert).
Ask questions
We want you to have all the information you need to understand your condition and to be able to help with your own care. Please ask questions about your health. This can help you make educated decisions and better deal with your condition.
We suggest that you write down any questions as you think of them. Then you can ask them the next time you see your doctor or nurse.
Family spokesperson
Because our staff provides care and attention to many patients at once, it is difficult for them to relay information about your status to multiple family members. We encourage you to ask a trusted family member or friend to help with communication during your stay at the hospital. This person you select as the spokesperson becomes responsible for communicating to the rest of your family and friends.
- Know what procedures you have scheduled.
- Before you agree to a procedure, make sure your health care providers tell you what they plan to do.
- Please tell us if you ever think we may have you confused with another patient.
Call button
Your health care team will check in regularly to address your needs and answer any questions you may have. However, if you need help sooner, please press the call button in your room near your bed. This lets a health care staff member know that you need help.
For example, if you need help getting out of bed or going to the bathroom, press your call button.
If it is not an urgent need, you may have to wait. This is because your health team members may be helping other patients at the time. However, they will see you as soon as possible.
Nurse Bedside Shift Reporting
One of the ways we make sure all of your needs are being met is through “bedside reporting.” We call it that because your nurses will talk with you about your care in your room.
When your nurses are changing shifts, they will meet with you to:
- Introduce your new nurse
- Talk about what has been happening during your stay
- Go over your treatment plan
- Answer any questions you may have
Bedside reporting increases your safety. It gives you and your family the chance to understand all that is happening, and to be more involved in your care.
Before each bedside report:
- Your nurses will ask you which family members or visitors may be present with you during the meeting. This is because we want to make sure we are protecting your privacy. At the meeting, we may discuss personal and sensitive information such as your medical history, treatment plan, test results, and diagnoses.
- Write down any concerns and questions.