Nursing at Seattle Children’s

Unit Descriptions

Below, you’ll find information about the number of beds and patient populations that each of our units serve, as well as the nursing model of care and some of the advanced nursing skills particular to each area.

All units serve patients from infancy through young adulthood, except as follows:

Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine serves patients ages 3–21
Rehabilitation serves patients 18 months through adults
Neonatal Intensive Care serves premature infants up until 7 months

Acute Care Float Pool
- Number of beds: N/A
- Patient populations: The ACFP provides staffing support to units all over the hospital. Our RNs work on all the acute care floors – Medical, Surgical, Cancer Care, Rehab – and later train to the Emergency Department (ED) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit (PBMU). Staff can float between assignments as frequently as every four hours to meet the needs of our acute care units. Generally, we are given the same assignments as nurses that work on that unit with some clear restrictions.
- Nursing model of care: RNs
- Advanced nursing skills: IV placement, central venous line repair, chemotherapy/biotherapy certified
Ambulatory
- Number of beds: N/A
- Patient populations: 30 pediatric specialties with many subspecialties
- Nursing model of care: RNs, MAs, clinical administrators
- Advanced nursing skills: Care coordination, symptom telephone triage, inpatient education, unique treatments and procedures, specific to various specialties
Ambulatory (regional)
- Number of beds: N/A
- Patient populations: 21 pediatric specialties at 8 sites of care including Bellevue, Everett, Mill Creek, Olympia, Federal Way, Tri-Cities, Wenatchee and Seattle. Out-of-state locations include Montana and Alaska.
- Nursing model of care: RNs, MAs
- Advanced nursing skills: Care coordination, symptom telephone triage
Ambulatory Nurse Infusion Center
- Number of beds: 22
- Patient populations: Rheumatology, hematology/oncology, gastroenterology, immunology, biochemical genetics
- Nursing model of care: RNs, MAs
- Advanced nursing skills: Chemotherapy/biotherapy certified
Cancer and Blood Disorders Center - Inpatient
- Number of beds: 48
- Patient populations: Oncology, blood disorders
- Nursing model of care: RNs, CNAs
- Advanced nursing skills: Chemotherapy/biotherapy certified, bone marrow transplant, immunotherapy, radioisotopes
Cardiac Catheterization Lab
- Number of beds: 2
- Patient populations: Cardiology: congenital, transplant, electrophysiology
- Nursing model of care: RNs, cardiovascular technologists, radiology technologists
- Advanced nursing skills: Catheterization, electrophysiology and hybrid procedures
Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
- Number of beds: 16
- Patient populations: Post-operative cardiac surgery, cardiac transplant heart failure, congenital cardiac defects
- Nursing model of care: RNs, CNAs
- Advanced nursing skills: Ventilators, ventricular assist devices, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), transplant, continuous renal replacement therapy
Cardiology Clinic
- Number of exam rooms: 10
- Patient populations: Cardiology: acquired, congenital, surgical follow-up, transplant
- Nursing model of care: MDs, RNs, MAs
- Advanced nursing skills: Care coordination
Care Coordination
- Number of beds: N/A
- Patient populations: All conditions
- Nursing model of care: RNs
- Advanced nursing skills: Case management
Dialysis
- Number of beds: 7
- Patient populations: Nephrology, dialysis
- Nursing model of care: RNs, CNAs
- Advanced nursing skills: Acute and chronic hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis
Emergency Department
- Number of beds: 38
- Patient populations: All conditions
- Nursing model of care: RNs, emergency department technicians, nurse technicians
- Advanced nursing skills: Advanced triage, critical care, resuscitation, IV placement, sedation, procedures
Endoscopy
- Number of beds: 2
- Patient populations: GI disorders: liver failure/transplant, inflammatory bowel disease, gall bladder issues, motility disorders, ulcerative colitis
- Nursing model of care: RNs
- Advanced nursing skills: Anesthesia support, endoscope operations, circulate procedures, IV placement
Home Care
- Number of beds: N/A
- Patient populations: Hematology/oncology, gastroenterology, transplant, pulmonary, immunology, infectious disease
- Nursing model of care: RNs
- Advanced nursing skills: Central line care, patient and caregiver education
Interventional Radiology
- Number of beds: 2
- Patient populations: Transplants, complex cardiac, vascular malformation, hematology/oncology, dialysis
- Nursing model of care: RNs, radiology technologists
- Advanced nursing skills: Anesthesia support, circulating procedures, assist with invasive monitoring
Medical Unit
- Number of beds: 80
- Patient populations: General medicine, endocrinology, pulmonary, neurology, rheumatology, craniofacial, gastroenterology
- Nursing model of care: RNs, CNAs
- Advanced nursing skills: Tracheostomies, ventilators
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Number of beds: 27–32
- Patient populations: Prematurity with surgical needs, congenital anomalies, surgical, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), neonatal ENT
- Nursing model of care: RNs
- Advanced nursing skills: Ventilators, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), amplitude integrated electroencephalography (aEEG), external ventricular drainage
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
- Number of beds: 32
- Patient populations: Medical, endocrinology, pulmonary, neurosurgery, orthopedic, general surgery, transplant, otolaryngology
- Nursing model of care: RNs
- Advanced nursing skills: Ventilators, ICP monitoring, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), external ventricular devices, transplant
Perioperative Care (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit and Operating Room)
- Number of beds: 34
- Patient populations: Cardiac, craniofacial, dental/oral, general surgery, neurosurgery
- Nursing model of care: RNs, CNAs, surgical technologists, anesthesia technicians
- Advanced nursing skills: ECMO cannulation, robotics, solid organ transplant, lasers
Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit
- Number of beds: 41
- Patient populations: Depression, eating disorders, anxiety
- Nursing model of care: RNs, pediatric mental health specialists
- Advanced nursing skills: Nasogastric tubes, behavior management, wound care, diabetes
Radiology Recovery
- Number of beds: 7
- Patient populations: Sedation, anesthesia or nursing support for diagnostic exams
- Nursing model of care: RNs, radiology technologists
- Advanced nursing skills: Anesthesia support (induction), monitoring for minimal and moderate sedation, recovery of sedated and anesthetized patients, IV placement
Rehabilitation Unit
- Number of beds: 12
- Patient populations: Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, poly-trauma, cerebral palsy post-op, stroke
- Nursing model of care: RNs, LPNs, CNAs
- Advanced nursing skills: Ventilators (trach/vent, trach/bi-pap), autonomic dysreflexia (AD)
Research
- Number of clinic rooms: 10
- Patient populations: Oncology, endocrinology, pulmonology, allergy, infectious disease
- Nursing model of care: RNs, MAs
- Advanced nursing skills: Perform research procedures, phlebotomy, IV placement, port access, anaphylaxis management
Surgical Unit
- Number of beds: 80
- Patient populations: Over 30 surgical specialties, including neuro, orthopedic, cardiac, transplant and nephrology
- Nursing model of care: RNs, LPNs, CNAs
- Advanced nursing skills: Ventricular assist devices (VADs), ventriculostomy, peritoneal dialysis, external pacemakers
Transplant
- Number of beds: N/A
- Patient populations: Abdominal transplants (liver, kidney, intestine)
- Nursing model of care: RN transplant coordinators
- Advanced nursing skills: Care coordination
Urgent Care
- Number of beds: 7–10
- Patient populations: Acute pediatric illnesses and injury
- Nursing model of care: RNs, nurse technologists
- Advanced nursing skills: Triage, IV placement, sedation, procedures