Patient and Family Centered Care
At Bronson, we use a patient and family-centered care approach. This means we involve patients and families in their plan of care. At the heart of patient and family-centered care is the belief that patients and families are partners in care. We believe that patients and families should be treated with dignity and respect. Patients can define who their family or support team is and how they want to be involved in their care. Sharing information and talking about your plan of care with our care team and your family is important. Working together creates a relationship that helps achieve the best results, improves quality and safety, and reduces costs. Bronson's Patient and Family Advisory Council gives patients and families a voice. Their feedback helps us make decisions about how we deliver care.

Uniforms
All Bronson employees wear name badges with their picture. Many also wear uniforms. For example, nurses wear white tops and white or green pants, unless they have on blue scrubs. Physical and respiratory therapists wear navy blue tops and bottoms. Patient Care Assistants are dressed in teal green. Environmental Services (housekeeping) wear maroon uniforms.

Nursing Team
A team of nurses and patient care assistants (PCAs) provides 24-hour nursing care at Bronson. Charge nurses, unit coordinators and a nurse manager oversee the team. Nurses plan, coordinate and provide patient care. They partner with the patient, doctors, therapists and family and friends, if the patient agrees. This includes patient and family education, giving medicines, helping patients move, and many other duties.

Medical Staff
Your attending doctor is the main doctor taking care of you while you are in the hospital. Other staff with special training will help this doctor. These include physician assistants, nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives or nurse anesthetists. Other doctors will consult with your doctor. They may offer their opinion or be asked to give special medical care. As a teaching hospital, Bronson works closely with Michigan State University Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies. There are more than 180 residents, or doctors, in training. Residents take care of patients while a staff doctor supervises. Bronson has more than 700 doctors and advanced practitioners in more than 60 primary care and sub-specialties.

Hospital Doctors Who Work with Your Family Doctor
As a patient at Bronson, your family doctor may refer you to a doctor specializing in hospital medicine. These doctors are called internal medicine hospital specialists (IMHS). They only take care of patients in the hospital. This team has doctors at the hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Every day, the team meets to review all hospital patients. Sometimes they consult, or talk with, other specialists. These doctors make sure that your family doctor is involved in your care. This includes sending a summary when you leave. Call (269) 341-8481 to reach the IMHS office.

Other Team Members
There are a lot of other team members who work together to make your stay and your care the best it can be. This includes pharmacists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, technicians, maintenance, chaplains and others. If you need to reach any of them, press your call button or ask your nurse.