Why a Children's Hospital?

Children are not small adults. They are still growing in every way. Their bodies are different, they perceive things and communicate differently, and the long-term implications of treatment are not the same.

It makes sense, then, that children sometimes need a different type of medical care. When kids require doctors and nurses with pediatric specialty training, it is the right time to choose a children’s hospital.

At Children’s Hospital Central California we know kids aren’t small adults. Our doctors, nurses and other professionals have all received specific pediatric training. Pediatricians participate in as much as six extra years of training in children’s medicine. Pediatric specialists participate in additional fellowships that can last up to three years. We have hundreds of doctors on our staff with this kind of training. And nurses specialize as well. For instance, our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has more than 200 nurses specifically trained to care for premature babies. This type of experience and training exists throughout our hospital. Day in and day out, all we work with are kids.

The Body

While an adult’s body is fully developed, a child’s continues to change as they grow. When a child breaks a bone, specialized doctors consider both the repair of the bone and how it will continue growing. This is true for most parts of a child’s body.

Here is another example of the physical differences between kids and adults. An adult’s heart is approximately the size of your fist. A child’s heart is the size of a walnut. Heart surgeons treating children use different equipment and face entirely different problems than those treating adults. A children’s heart surgeon works only with kids, and these differences are an everyday experience.

Illnesses

Kids also suffer from many conditions that present differently in adults. For instance, Respiratory Syncitial Virus can be deadly to a child, while it might seem like a bad cold to an adult. Many childhood illnesses are never even seen in adults.

Size

Size is an important issue. If you’ve ever been in a hospital, you know how much medical equipment is in every room. Respirators, IV lines, needles – kids need smaller versions of all of these. Other hospitals may not have the depth and breadth of equipment designed for the needs of children.

The Mind

Kids don’t think, communicate or perceive like adults. Medical professionals who work with kids every day have developed communication skills and techniques that get past these barriers. After all, how do you treat a person who can’t tell you where it hurts? In addition, Children’s Hospital helps children understand and cope with hospitalization by role playing surgery and other medical procedures on items such as dolls and teddy bears.

The Family

A child’s family has a very special place in their treatment. At Children’s we practice something called Family Centered Care that recognizes parents, guardians and siblings as an important partner in the healing process.

The Environment

When we are injured or ill we want a comfortable, safe environment to get well in. But what is comfortable to
an adult may actually be frightening or intimidating to a child. Children’s state-of-the-art facility is a child-friendly environment full of color, themed décor and toys along with Child Life Specialists who provide education, play and emotional support for patients and their families.

The Medication

Children’s Hospital’s physicians, anesthesiologists and pharmacists understand the differences between children’s bodies and adult bodies. They know that research has proven that children react to medications differently than adults. We work regularly with the different dosages and reactions seen in children’s care.

The examples we’ve given are just a few, simple reasons to choose Children’s Hospital Central California for your child. There are many more.

The pediatric specialist physicians at Children’s Hospital have devoted their lives to children’s health care. Our nurses have taken on a level of specialization that has earned them the Magnet Nursing Award. Every technician and employee at our hospital has made a career decision to help kids. Children are our history, our mission and our reason for being. If your child needs care, we would love to welcome them to the Children’s family.