Where patients stay while in the hospital

After doctors evaluate patients, they are moved to another unit in the hospital. Where they are moved depends on their injury. Patients may first go to the intensive care unit. When they are ready, they may then move to a step-down unit. They may also go to another unit in the hospital. Patients are only moved from one unit to another when the trauma team believes they are ready. The hospital staff does its best to let family and friends know when a patient is moved from one unit to another. If your loved one has been moved and you do not know where he or she has gone, please call VCU Medical Center General Information at (804) 828-9000.

Our units that care for adult trauma patients include:

• Surgery Trauma Intensive Care Unit/STICU 
• Step-down Unit
• Medical and Surgical Care Units
• Cardiac Surgery ICU/CSICU 
• Coronary ICU/CICU 
• Medical Repository ICU/MRICU 
• Neuroscience ICU/NSICU 

Caring for Children

With a combined Level 1 pediatric and adult trauma center, we must define the pediatric trauma patient by age. The pediatric trauma service will manage all children aged 14 years and younger. Patients aged 15 years and older will be managed by the acute care surgery service. Pediatric trauma patients may be initially cared for in the trauma resuscitation area by experts in both pediatric emergency and trauma care. Many patients will receive care in the dedicated pediatric emergency department that is designed to meet the unique needs of children from infancy through adolescence.

These are our hospital units that care for pediatric trauma patients:

• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
• Pediatric Progressive Care Unit (PPCU)
• Acute Care Pediatric Unit

All pediatric units are located on the seventh floor of Main Hospital.