Hospitalist Medicine Program

Hospitalists are specially trained providers who work closely with your child’s primary care team. They typically work in an inpatient clinic rather than in an outpatient clinic. Hospitalists care for your child on nights, weekends, and holidays. The hospitalist team makes sure that your child continues to get specialized medical care when the primary clinic is closed. They work closely with your child's primary care team so that care is not interrupted.

The doctors in the Hospitalist Medicine Program can be pediatric hematologist-oncologists who have the same level of training as your child’s primary doctors and know how to treat diseases and the side effects from treatments. They are familiar with the clinical research protocols at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and can care for patients who are on clinical trials.

Services we provide 

The Hospitalist Medicine Program provides care for St. Jude patients in 4 areas: the Inpatient Chemotherapy Service, the Acute Care Clinic and Infusion Center, and in inpatient units at night. We also have an oncology consult service at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.  

Inpatient Chemotherapy Service

The Inpatient Chemotherapy Service serves patients admitted to the hospital by their primary clinic who need chemotherapy. Experts in the Chemotherapy Service will discuss your child’s case with you daily through family-centered rounds. They get to know your child and family so that they can provide the best possible care for your child during chemotherapy.

Acute Care Clinic Service

The Acute Care Clinic provides care for St. Jude patients between their regular visits and treats patients who require unscheduled visits. 

We provide care in 2 locations based on different operation hours:

• In the Acute Care Clinic during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Your child’s primary clinic will refer them to the Acute Care Clinic if needed.
• In the Infusion Center after normal business hours: weeknights from 5 p.m.–8 a.m., weekends, and holidays. If your child has a medical problem during these times, please call the Infusion Center at 901-595-2441 before you go. You will speak to a nurse with special training who will ask screening questions. This helps the team make a quick assessment of the level of care your child may need and the action you may need to take.

Please have the following information ready for the nurse when you call:

• Hospital ID/medical record number (MRN)
• Your child’s current problem 
• Their symptoms and when they started, such as:
  • Fever and signs of infection
  • Pain
  • Pain episodes and sickle cell disease
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Problems thinking, speaking, or staying awake

The nurse will tell you what you need to do next.

If the Infusion Center can care for your child after hours, a nurse can help set up transportation. You may also call Transportation Dispatch at 901-595-4856 for help.

Inpatient Floor Service

St. Jude has highly trained care providers on each inpatient floor at night (Kay Research and Care Center, floors 3, 4, and 5). These care teams include expert doctors with specialized training, advanced practice providers, and nurses. They can respond to problems your child has at the bedside. The team can quickly assess what your child needs, provide care, and stay in close contact with the primary care team.

Oncology Consult Service

The Hospitalist Medicine Program staffs the Oncology Consult Service at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. This team of physicians is on call 24/7 at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. They care for new cancer patients’ consultations and work with other services that help St. Jude patients who are admitted to Le Bonheur. The medical teams at each hospital are in close contact, which helps to ensure that your child gets the best care.

Your hospitalist team 

Our team practices patient-family centered care, which means that we work closely with you and your family to make sure that everyone is involved in the care process.

Members of our team include:

• Pediatric hematologist-oncologists: Doctors who specialize in treating children with cancer and blood disorders
• Pediatricians: Doctors who specialize in treating all children
• Advanced practice providers: Trained medical professionals who help doctors diagnose, treat, and care for your child
• Nurses who provide specialized care for your child
• Pharmacists: Specialists who prepare your child’s medicines

What to expect during a hospitalist visit

In our Acute Care Clinic, after-hour Infusion Center location, and Chemotherapy and Inpatient Floor Services, we will:

• Assess problems and give guidance about the best care for your child
• Make sure that your child gets the right care when they need it at the correct place 
• Review your child’s medical history and symptoms and ask you questions to make the best decisions

Our goal is to make your visit go as smoothly as possible.

For patients who are in the hospital, we have a team of pediatric cancer care specialists in each inpatient unit. They review your child’s medical information and meet regularly to discuss your child’s care. We are in close contact with your child’s primary team and work with them to make sure that your child gets their prescribed treatments.

After reviewing and discussing your child’s case, we will meet with you in your child’s room every day during family-centered rounds. In these meetings, we will talk about your child’s condition, lab and test results, and treatments. We will ask your child questions about how they are feeling and provide updates. 

Feel free to ask us any questions and share any concerns you have, such as changes in your child’s body functions or eating habits. You know your child better than anyone else, and your input helps us provide the best care. We want to work with you as part of our team.

Your care team will also tell you about any changes to your child’s treatment, other tests, and when they may be discharged. The timing of discharge depends on your child’s health that day. Please be patient, as we may need to adjust your child’s discharge based on their condition. Also, let us know if your child will need medicine refills. 

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