Advocate Children’s Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department

Oak Lawn, Illinois

Advocate Children’s Hospital—Oak Lawn is 146-bed pediatric hospital with a 22- bed pediatric emergency department that treats an average of 36,000 patients per year.

Advocate Children’s hospital is a Magnet-designated hospital which strives to help children live fully. Pediatric emergency department nurse-driven pathways help achieve this goal by empowering nurses to initiate treatment for various patient populations to ensure timely, quality care. The PED SANE program provides 24/7 coverage with 13 pediatric SANE-trained RNs. The pediatric stroke program expedites care for potential stroke patients. PED Performance Improvement committee is a nurse-led committee with the purpose of monitoring and improving initiatives to ensure best practices are sustained.

The PED not only focuses on helping patients live fully but also the teammates working within the organization. Staff-led self-care tips, shared governance engagement, and team building activities are a few strategies that promote the importance of caring for oneself in order to care for others. The well- being strategies have proven to be effective, as evidenced by low turnover rate, teammate engagement in the organization’s recognition platform, and successful completion of the Children’s Hospital workplace violence reduction program. Extraordinary interdisciplinary collaboration with the common goal to put patients first also boosts exceptional care and teammate satisfaction.