June 28, 2023

This is only the first year participating in Austin Business Journal’s (ABJ) annual Best Places to Work survey, and Texas Children’s has ranked No. 6 in the Large companies category!

“This award is an honor,” said SVP of the North Austin Campus, Russ Williams. “We are so grateful to our team members for taking the time to tell the people of Austin what an amazing place Texas Children’s is to build a career!”

Nominated alongside 75 other companies across the Austin area, Texas Children’s representatives from North Austin, TCPs and TCUC gathered at the Circuit of the Americas on June 22 to learn where they ranked. The awards luncheon was teeming with energy and excitement with everyone dressed to the nines in their best racing attire.

“People get to see this as something they want to be a part of,” explained Brent Bell, Manager of TCUC Westgate. “To come join our culture and make us better than we already are.”

The ABJ’s Best Places to Work lists are compiled by Quantum Workplace, who provides a confidential survey to employees of nominated companies, then compiles scores based on corporate culture, amenities, benefits, and worker retention and attraction strategies.

On the heels of our #3 ranking by U.S. News & World Report, this recognition is just another milestone to celebrate with pride as we continue to solidify our presence in the Austin community. With a workforce of people committed to making a difference, Texas Children’s is investing in its people and making sure they feel valued for their selfless service. None of this is possible without the hard work, dedication and voices of our One Amazing Team!

View the recap video from the exciting event!

The more we know, the more we understand, the more we connect. Click to read this month’s DEI update on allyship. Read more

Texas Children’s takes third in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospital rankings. We also achieved the #1 ranking in Texas and are #1 in the Southwest Region. For the seventh consecutive year, our Heart Center proves to be the best place in the country for children in need of pediatric cardiology and heart surgery care.

Our Pulmonology Division also received the #1 spot for a second consecutive year. We also have a third top-ranked specialty: Nephrology successfully moved up two spots to claim their first #1 ranking.

For the second year in a row, all Texas Children’s specialties earned a place in the top 10!

Service rankings:

  • #1 Heart
  • #1 Pulmonology
  • #1 Nephrology
  • #2 Endocrinology
  • #2 Neuroscience
  • #3 Neonatology
  • #6 Cancer
  • #7 Gastroenterology and GI surgery
  • #7 Urology
  • #8 Orthopedics

President and CEO Mark A. Wallace wrote a heartfelt tribute to team members in his announcement to the organization, “These remarkable rankings were earned solely because of you. You and the incredible talents you bring to our team make us the very best in Texas and one of the nation’s top-rated children’s and women’s hospitals. You keep me going in the toughest of times and you continue to inspire me each and every day. While our goal will always be to reach #1, no matter where we land, our ranking will never define what you mean to me.”

About U.S. News Rankings

U.S. News & World Report introduced the Best Children’s Hospitals ranking in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. The rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals.

The U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospital rankings rely on clinical data from nearly 200 medical centers through a detailed survey that analyzes measures such as patient safety, infection prevention and adequacy of nurse staffing. In addition, each hospital’s score is derived from surveys of more than 15,000 pediatric specialists who are asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty. In 2021, only 89 children’s hospitals were ranked in at least one of the 10 pediatric specialties evaluated for this annual report. Ten hospitals ranked at the top of their class and were named to the 2022-2023 Honor Roll. For more information, visit usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

June 21, 2023

Texas Children’s is proud to be the only pediatric Radiation Injury Treatment Network (RITN) center in Texas. Together with Baylor, we also lead a consortium of experts from across the Gulf Coast named the Gulf-7 Pediatric Disaster Network (G7) – one of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Pediatric Disaster Care Centers of Excellence.

As leaders in this network, we will host an emergency preparedness exercise on Thursday, June 22, mainly on the fourth floor of the Pavilion for Women. Don’t be surprised when you see an extra 50 children and parent volunteers walking the halls. Along with some community partners, they will help us simulate a patient surge during a radiologic incident.

This exercise will put our operations and skills to the test, so we can be ready for anything. Don’t worry, there’s no specific existing threat we’re preparing for; this is just one of the many things we’re doing as part of our emergency preparedness.

“As a leader in emergency preparedness for the Gulf Coast, we’re excited to host this exercise to help our organization and others learn how to be ready for disaster,” said Dr. Brent Kaziny, Medical Director of Emergency Management. “It’s our privilege and responsibility to ensure we continue to learn how to deliver the best care while keeping people safe during a crisis.”

There will be a follow-up story on Connect to share how it went and what we learned.

Multiple departments across the organization, as well as outside partners (South East Texas Regional Advisory Council (SETRAC) and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Services (TEEX)) will participate in the exercise.

Participating departments
  • RITN
  • Chaplaincy
  • Child Life
  • Communications (Internal and External)
  • Emergency Center Nursing
  • Organizational Resilience
  • Emergency Medicine Physicians
  • Facilities Operations
  • House Supervisor
  • Language Services
  • Pathology/ Laboratory
  • Patient and Family Services
  • Patient Registration/Finance
  • Radiation Safety
  • Security
  • Social Work
  • Child Life
  • Baylor Medical Team

Host Jackie Ward invites you in person to the next Nursing Town Hall from 1-2 p.m. on Monday, June 26 at the Pavilion for Women Conference Center (Fourth Floor). If you’re unable to attend in person, you can stream the presentation on Microsoft Teams Live.

During the town hall, Jackie and co-presenters will share important system updates and touch on topics like workplace safety and behavioral health, quality improvement and Austin expansion. You can pre-submit questions for discussion during the event – any unanswered questions will get an email response.

Patient care is our first priority, so don’t worry if you can’t attend or watch the livestream. A recording will be available on-demand on the Voice of Nursing blog after the event.

Add it to your calendar and spread the word! Click here to view the flyer.

Grateful colleague submitted the following Caught You Caring recognition for Shelby McDannald.

“Shelby is an amazing example of amplifying unity. A colleague was out on leave and Shelby took the initiative to make sure her consults were done in a timely manner. Shelby immediately saw the need and went above to provide that support. The families we serve did not have to wait for support. Shelby is passionate about providing exceptional care to the families we serve and collaborating with the medical team to ensure the needs of the families have been met. Thank you Shelby for the continued dedication and hard work you provide.”

Caught You Caring

There are countless examples of how team members make an impact every day. Through our Caught You Caring recognition program, anyone (patients, families, colleagues, vendors, volunteers or visitors) can provide a kind word about someone who went the extra mile. Even the smallest act of kindness can brighten someone’s day. Click here to submit a recognition for a colleague. The recipient and their leader will receive an email notification. Since its inception in 2015, there have been more than 30,000 recognitions submitted.

June 16, 2023

This week on Mark Wallace’s blog, he looks back on the remarkable history and significant meaning behind Juneteenth. Read More