While the majority of staff in the hospital wear a uniform, each staff member wears an identification badge with their name, job title and the HSE logo. A team of specialist healthcare staff will be involved in your child's care. The team will discuss your child's treatment with you in clear language and involve your child in decisions about their care. If there is anything you don’t understand, or need more clarity on, please don’t hesitate to ask any member of the team. They are here to help you and your child.
Students
Cork University Hospital is a university teaching hospital and there may be students supervised by qualified staff involved in your child's care. It's valuable training for our students, however, if you would prefer that they weren’t present or involved in your child’s care, it will not affect the quality of your treatment in any way. Inform a qualified member of staff and we'll always respect your wishes. If you have any questions, ask a member of your child's ward team and they will help.
Administration Staff
We have a large number of administration staff working in the hospital and they help to make the hospital run smoothly. It is a member of the Administration Staff you will meet when you are checking your child in to the hospital as an inpatient or outpatient. They will make sure your details are up to date on our computer system.
Anaesthetists
An Anaesthetist is a special doctor who gives anaesthetic medication to adults or children. This medication is used to give your child a very deep sleep (unconscious) and that they stay asleep (remain unconscious) during theiroperation or procedure. They make sure that they don’t feel, see, or hear anything while they are having your operation and they wake you up when it is finished.
Audiologists
Audiologists know a lot about ears and hearing. They do special hearing tests using different equipment to see how well your child's hearing is working. Then they can help you if they find out that your child's hearing is not as good as it should be.
Clinical Nurse Manager 1 & 2 (CNM)
CNM2 and CNM1’s wear a light blue striped uniform top and navy trousers. A Clinical Nurse Manager (CNM) is the manager of a ward and nursing team with responsibility for looking after your child while they are a patient in the ward.
Clinical Nurse Manager 3 (CNM)
CNM3 wears a dark blue uniform top and trousers. She is responsible for all of the patients and staff in the children’s wards in the hospital.
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
Clinical Nurse Specialists wear light purple uniform tops and navy trousers. They are expert nurses in areas such as asthma or diabetes and they help book tests, appointments and help with your child's treatment plans.
Clinical Outreach Nurse
The Clinical Outreach Nurse provides a link between the nurses in the hospital and the community nurses for children with life limiting conditions. He travels to family homes to support you and your family.
Dietitian
Dieticians wear grey tops and navy trousers. They know a lot about food and how much you need for your body to have energy. They know what foods are good for your child if they are on a special eating plan or how much they need to eat for your size. If they are not able to eat they also know what to get them to help their body have the energy it needs to get better.
Emergency Department Nurse
The Emergency Department nurses wear a blue scrub top and blue trousers. You might meet them if your child has to go to hospital in an emergency when they have had an accident or if they are sick.
Doctor
In our hospital doctors do not wear a white coat but they usually have their stethoscopes with them. Doctors know a lot about how our bodies work and what to do if you are not feeling well. They can do tests to find out what the problem is and then can do procedures, operations or order special medicines to make your child feel better.
Health Care Assistant (HCA)
Health Care Assistants in the children’s wards wear a bright top with designs and navy trousers. They help the nurses to look after your child under the supervision of Clinical Nurse Managers.
Household Assistants
Household staff wear a light blue top with Household staff written on it and navy trousers. The Household Assistants help to keep the hospital clean and germ free. You may see them coming in to your child's room to clean it. They also provide meals and drinks during your child's stay on the ward.
Medical Social Worker (MSW)
The Medical Social Work (MSW) department offers a number of services to children and their families, both on an in /outpatient basis. A child’s illness and hospital visits can be a stressful time for families. Because of this they offer both practical and emotional support to help them these difficulties. MSW offer support and counselling to children, parents and families who have a new diagnosis of illness or long-term condition.
Nurse
Nurses in the children’s wards wear bright patterned tops with different designs and navy trousers. A nurse helps to care for children in lots of ways when they are sick. They might do your “obs” – that means to check their heart, pulse, temperature and their lungs. Nurses also help to teach you and your families about healthy living and how to manage their illness.
Occupational Therapist (OT)
The Occupational Therapist wears a green polo shirt and navy trousers. They work with your child and your family to assess and help them to do activities that they normally do at home or at school; these could include washing, using the toilet, dressing themselves, eating / drinking, going to school and playing. They might give them exercises to strengthen their body or help them to learn a new skill.
Operating Theatre Nurse
The operating theatre nurses wear a blue scrub top, blue trousers and a blue hat. You might meet them if your child has to go to the operating theatre for an operation.
Physiotherapist
Physiotherapists wear a white polo shirt with a blue collar and navy trousers. Physiotherapists know about the muscles in our bodies and how they work. They help your child to keep active and if they are having difficulty moving their muscles properly.
Play Specialist
Our Play Specialist wears a bright top with designs and navy trouser. The Play Specialist can help to keep your child busy with games, Nintendo DS’, toys and arts and crafts activities while they have to stay in hospital. She can also help to prepare your child for a test or operation using dolls, teddy bears or medical equipment, distracting them when the procedure is happening.
Porter
Porters bring your child from place to place if they need help in going to another area of the hospital for tests or scans.
Speech and Language Therapist (SLT)
Speech and Language Therapists wear a and navy trousers. They work with children/young people who find it hard to speak, read and understand others. They also help babies, children and young people if they have problems eating, drinking or swallowing.
School Teachers
When your child is in hospital for more than a few days they might need to go to the school hospital to keep up with their school work and they will meet the school teachers!
X-Ray Department
Whether your child has to stay in hospital or they are an outpatient, they might have to go to the X-Ray department to have an x-ray or a scan. You will meet the Radiographer who takes the pictures and one of the X-Ray nurses may also be there.