I am a Graduate Nurse
Beginning a nursing career is exciting and full of new possibilities. At Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC graduate nurses can choose to work in a variety of pediatric specialties that offer a lifetime of opportunity and rewards. All units accept graduate nurses for employment and primarily schedule 12 hour shifts. Inpatient units that hire graduate nurses include:
- Adolescent and Endocrine
- Cardiac, Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care
- Emergency Department and Fast Track
- Epilepsy Unit
- General Surgery
- Hematology /Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant
- Infant Medical
- Intermediate care
- Operating Room
- Orthopaedics/Neurology/Trauma
- Transplant Surgery
Nursing Unit Descriptions
Adolescent Medical/Endocrine (9A)
# of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
24 beds
Types of Patients Served:
Adolescent medical to include endocrine as a primary focus and oncology overflow
Ages of Patients:
Primarily 12-21 years old with occasional infant/toddler overflow
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
Chemotherapy certification is required and provided by Children’s Hospital.
Personal Rewards of Working in This Unit/Department:
Adolescent Medical/Endocrine staff has the opportunity to work with this special age group and to develop trusting relationships with those who have chronic illnesses.
Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)
# of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
12 beds
Types of Patients Served:
Dedicated care for critically ill patients with congenital and acquired cardiovascular disease as well as other complex cardiac problems such as trauma. Often these conditions require surgical interventions including heart/lung transplantation. Other interventions include extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), ventricular assist devices (VADs), mechanical ventilation, hemodynamic monitoring, pacemaker therapy, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and inhalation nitric oxide therapy.
Ages of Patients:
Newborns to adults
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
Trauma, PALS and ACLS certifications are required and provided by Children’s Hospital. Within three years, nurses are required to obtain CCRN certification.
Personal Rewards of Working in This Unit/Department:
The CICU staff delivers care to a wide range of patients with multiple cardiac diagnoses. The CICU nursing staff provides continuity of care as the patient progresses from the critical care setting, through the acute care setting, until the patient is discharged from the hospital. As a member of the nursing team, there are many opportunities to gain experience in a highly specialized cardiac critical and acute care setting and use of state-of-the-art technology.
Children’s North/Children’s South Surgery Centers
# of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
The North Surgery Center has four operating rooms and operates Monday-Friday. The South Surgery Center has three operating rooms and operates Monday and Tuesday only.
Types of Patients Served:
ENT, dental, general and thoracic surgery , ophthalmology, GI, urology, rheumatology, orthopaedics, neurosurgery and pulmonology.
Ages of Patients:
All ages
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
PALS certification is required and provided by Children’s Hospital.
Personal Rewards of Working in This Unit/Department:
Surgical nurses work closely with patients to prepare them for operative procedures, in addition to providing a calm, holistic atmosphere for patients and families during the surgical experience.
Emergency Department and Fast Track
# of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
40 beds
- Approximately 63,000 visits per year
Type of Patients Served:
Medical and trauma patients with emergent, urgent and non-urgent conditions. Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC is the only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center in western Pennsylvania.
Ages of Patients:
All ages
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
Trauma certification and PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) are required and provided by Children’s Hospital. Also CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse), CPEN (Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse), ENPC (Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course) and CPN (Certified Pediatric Nurse) certifications are available through Children’s Hospital.
Personal Rewards of Working in This Unit/Department:
Emergency Department staff has an opportunity to work within many disciplines throughout the hospital, all the while experiencing the diversity of patients. Nurses develop autonomy related to their skills and expertise. There is something new to learn every day as staff apply rapid assessment and interventional skills, and act as a patient advocate in the support of patients and families in their time of crisis.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
# of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
31 beds
Types of Patients Served:
Critically ill newborns and infants with complex medical problems. Often these conditions require surgical interventions, inhalation nitric oxide therapy or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
Ages of Patients:
Newborns and infants
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
All staff members complete the Neonatal Resuscitation Program. In addition, more experienced nurses often choose to become CCRN-certified in the neonatal track or to complete the NICU fellowship program.
Personal Rewards of working in This Unit/Department:
Nurses in NICU work in partnership with family members to ensure the best possible experience for the family and the best possible outcome for the patient.
Operating Room
# of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
13 operating rooms and 4 procedure rooms
Types of Patients Served:
Cardiac, dental gastroenterology, general surgery, maxillofacial, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, plastics, transplant, trauma and urological surgery.
Ages of Patients:
All ages (cardiac team may have some adult patients)
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
AORN certification recommended but not required.
Personal Rewards of Working in This Unit/Department:
OR Staff has the opportunity to be a part of a multidisciplinary team that treats children who have simple to complex surgeries, including multi-organ transplant and trauma. The hospital performs more pediatric transplants and more kinds of transplant then any other hospital and sees many of the region’s pediatric trauma patients as the region’s only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center.
Ortho/Neuro/Trauma (6A)
# of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
24 beds
Types of Patients Served:
Orthopaedic, Neurosurgical and Trauma
Ages of Patients:
All ages
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
Trauma certification is required and provided by Children’s Hospital.
Personal Rewards of Working in This Unit/Department:
6A offers staff the satisfaction and rewarding experience of supporting the child and family through crisis situations and assisting them in their recovery.
Phase I Recovery Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)
# of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
18 bed spaces and two isolation rooms; caring for more than 14,000 patients per year
Types of Patients Served:
Care of patients who have undergone general anesthesia or procedural sedation
Ages of Patients:
All ages
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
Trauma and PALS certifications are required and provided by Children’s Hospital
Personal Rewards of Working in This Unit/Department:
In the PACU, nurses provide education and support to the patient and family during the process of recovery after a procedure and/or surgery in preparation for discharge.
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
# of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
36 beds
Types of Patients Served:
Medical and surgical patients, including trauma, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), transplants, neurology, neurosurgical, orthopaedic, hematology, oncology, respiratory illness and ventilator-dependent patients.
Ages of Patients:
All ages
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
Trauma and PALS certifications are required and provided by Children’s Hospital.
Personal Rewards of Working in This Unit/Department:
Caring for patients of all ages and diagnoses, the PICU nurses work collaboratively with a highly trained multidisciplinary team amid lifesaving technology. PICU nurses provide the maximum level of care to critically ill or injured children.
Radiology
# Of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
There are 170,000 patients seen annually in radiology. Two interventional radiology (IR) suites, three MRI units (two-1.5 T, one-3.0T) two CT units, Nuclear and PET departments, 8-pre procedural rooms and 8 post procedural rooms, four Ultrasound rooms, support for mobile MRI unit at Children’s North in Wexford, general radiology unit, three Fluoro units, Emergency Department support. Two Orthopedic general rooms, Dexa scanner, Cardiac Nuclear Stress testing. Radiation Oncology
Types of Patients Served:
ICU, inpatients, outpatients, clinic patients
Ages of Patients:
All ages
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
Sedation course to be taken within first 6 months of employment
Training provided for pre-and post-care of general anesthesia patients, PALS certification is required and provided by Children’s Hospital
Personal Rewards of Working in This Unit/Department
In radiology, nurses have the opportunity to provide direct care and family support, working in different modalities. Nurses apply critical-thinking skills, work independently and become specialized in the field of pediatric sedation (pre- and post-care for sedation patients).
Same Day Surgery (SDS)
# of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
14 exam rooms for preoperative care, 14 bed spaces for postoperative care, and 10 bed spaces that can be used for either perioperative or post operative care; caring for more than 11,000 patients per year.
Types of Patients Served:
Preoperative and postoperative care for all surgical specialties available at Children’s Hospital.
Ages of Patients:
All ages
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
No certifications required
Personal Rewards of Working in This Unit/Department:
Same Day Surgery staff provides education and support to the patient and family during the preoperative and postoperative phases of surgery.
Transplant/Intestinal Care (7B)
# of Beds on Unit or # of Patients Seen in Department:
23 beds
Types of Patients Served:
Transplant and intestinal care
Ages of Patients:
All ages
Certifications Required and/or Provided by Children’s:
No certifications required
Personal Rewards of Working in This Unit/Department:
While caring for high-acuity, chronically ill children, staff has an opportunity to apply all nursing skills in caring for complex patients (central lines, investigational drug infusions, blood transfusions and complex dressing changes). Nurses develop close working relationships with patients and families on a long-term basis. Children’s Hospital is one of the country’s leading hospitals for transplantation.