Care conference update

Yesterday's care conference was very informative, which is what I expected. Our/Ellie's doctor, nurse practitioner, charge nurse, discharge nurse and social worker all attended the care conference. We were also assigned a case worker who was not able to attend the conference. However we did speak briefly yesterday. It was very humbling and touching to know that all of these professionals were at our disposal. We very much appreciated that they would all take time out of their day and assemble together for our sake. I still don't really know what all of these people do, but I appreciate the vast and thorough resources at our disposal. So here is my understanding of what each person does. Those of you familiar with the medical profession please feel free to leave comments that correct/extend what I'm about to say. The doctor who cared for Ellie the day she was born, Dr. Hall, is also the head neonatologist at the NIC unit. There is always a doctor on duty. A nurse practitioner is between a doctor and a nurse. Since there is a different doctor on duty each day it would be difficult to assign a doctor to any particular patient. Nurse practitioners at the NIC unit work during the day all week. So Ellie's nurse practitioner, Ellen, interacts with the parents of patients and acts as a liason between doctors and nurses. Ellen is an excellent resource to answer all of ourtough questions about Ellie's care. (She ran the care conference.) A charge nurse is basically a head nurse in charge of the unit. We can use her as a resource if the nurses can't answer our question(s). There is always a charge nurse on duty. The discharge nurse helps us get ready to take care of Ellie when we go home. Ellie's premature birth will show it's effects throughout the first year of her life. This includes everything from increased risk of infection to different feeding needs. The social worker's job is to help Mandy and I figure out insurance details/paperwork as well as ensuring that our needs are met. She can help us make sure we have an affordable place to stay, help coping with post partum depression and so on. The case worker will help us take care of insurance issues. I'm not really sure the exact difference between what the social worker does and what the case worker does. Presumably they're both helpful. It is clear that not only is Ellie receiving the best care, but Mandy and I are also receiving excellent support from the hospital. This is one more way that God is showing us that He will take care of us.