Part of our care team.

It takes an expert and we have many at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois. This month meet Dr. Hanson, a Hospitalist at OSF Children’s Hospital.

“As a medical student you try everything—but pediatrics really stood out. Each age is different and unique. One day it’s a baby that’s adorable and sweet and the next day it’s a teenager that I can joke with.  

I’m a hospitalist. So my whole job is caring for complicated hospitalized patients. My best days are when I send patients home and they feel better. But I also have really tough days. Mentally, I take these kids home with me. If a patient is getting sicker or really in trouble, I log in all night to check on them.

I don’t think people realize how underfunded pediatric programs and research are in our country. That is why fundraising is so important. We don’t turn people away here. We see every walk of life. Things many of us take for granted, are burdens. Families don’t have enough money to fill their cars with gas or buy bus tickets home when they are discharged. It seems like every week we are trying to solve those kinds of issues too.   

For me, I can’t just turn it off. It impacts how I am with my own family. I hug them harder when I get home and I have more patience about the little things.”  -Dr. Hanson

Please contact Mari.K.Osborne@osfhealthcare.org to learn more about OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois.