Inpatient Rehabilitation

What to Expect: Inpatient Care

What to Expect During Your Inpatient Stay With Rehabilitation Medicine

If your child requires intensive therapy, we offer highly specialized inpatient care.

Located on Cincinnati Children's Burnet Campus, our 12-bed inpatient unit serves children and adolescents, ages 1 to 18.

As part of a top-ranked children's hospital, our environment for recovery and functional improvement is unmatched. We offer two therapy gyms with state-of-the-art, advanced technologies and equipment including virtual motion and robotic-assisted systems to aid in accelerating recovery of motor and cognitive skills.

Our patients also have access to an inpatient school classroom, child life activity centers, community outings and school visits, and more.

As one of three CARF-accredited pediatric programs in the state, we are committed to providing the best possible care to your child and keeping you closely involved in the entire process. 

Preparing for Your Stay

While preparing for your stay, there are a few items you may want to bring:

• Comfortable, loose-fitting clothes
• Sweater, sweatshirt or jacket
• Personal care items (brush, toothbrush, deodorant, etc.)
• Items to personalize the room and bring comfort (pillow, blanket, favorite toy, etc.)

Our care team can also provide a more detailed packing list for your child's stay.

During Your Stay

Care Team

During your inpatient stay, your child's care team will include:

• Rehabilitation Medicine Physicians (Physiatrists)
• Nurses
• Occupational Therapists
• Physical Therapists
• Speech Language Therapists
• Therapeutic Recreation Therapists
• Social Workers
• Care Management Specialists

Depending on your child's needs, the care team may also include:

• Behavioral Medicine Specialists
• Child Life Specialists
• Dieticians
• Music Therapists
• Neuropsychologists
• School Liaisons
• School Teacher

Treatment Plan

While your child stays in our inpatient rehabilitation unit, their personalized care plan may include:

• Occupational therapy to help people regain or learn skills of everyday life, such as dressing, bathing and writing by hand
• Physical therapy to help people reduce pain, increase flexibility, range of motion, and function, build strength and correct posture
• Speech language therapy to assist with swallowing difficulties, communication impairments and memory issues
• Recreational therapy to help patients improve their physical health and well-being

Technology and Equipment

Our commitment to utilizing advanced technology and equipment underscores our dedication to providing comprehensive and effective therapy solutions for our patients. During your child's stay, they may use the following:

• Acting as the link between the patient and family, the school, and the medical team, making the transition back to school easier.
• Providing medical documentation as well as the medical team’s recommendations to assist with planning for the patient’s return to school.
• Providing staff and peers with information about a patient’s diagnosis, medical care, and implications on education. School liaisons attend meetings virtually or make in-person visits to schools within 60 miles of Cincinnati Children's.
• Communicating neuropsychological evaluation results.

School Teachers

A certified school teacher is provided by the Center for School Services. The teacher will coordinate with your child’s school to assist with educational planning including reduction of missed assignments, modification, and completion of assignments while in the hospital, and communication with school regarding academic progress and plan upon discharge. The teacher will work with your child either at the bedside or in the classroom, as appropriate. If possible, please bring your child’s school books, supplies, and laptop to the hospital.

For more information about these services and more, visit the Center for School Services.

Family-Centered Care

Caregivers play a very important role throughout their child's stay. We hold family-centered rounds each morning and encourage you to attend. This is a good opportunity to talk about how therapy is progressing and determine if any changes are needed for the treatment plan. You can also share your impressions, ideas and concerns during this time.

Going Home

Being discharged involves communication, collaboration and education for a smooth transition home. Before your child leaves inpatient care, we’ll teach you how to properly care for them at home, including how to care for any equipment they need.

We also offer ongoing support, such as home care, school intervention and outpatient rehabilitation services. Our goal is to help you and your child return home and to the community with new skills and greater confidence about the future.