Ambulatory Care

What Is Ambulatory Care?

Ambulatory care, also known as outpatient care, encompasses a range of medical services provided to patients that do not require overnight or extended stays within a medical facility. This can include services such as chemotherapy,IV Infusions,  blood transfusions, and more.

Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital hosts a fully staffed Ambulatory Care Department performing more than 2,000 procedures annually. Our nursing team is certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Chemotherapy, EEG trained, and  PICC line insertion. Our nurses provide expert care with compassion and respect in a friendly, cheerful and energetic environment.

What Do Ambulatory Care Nurses Do?

Ambulatory Care nurses specialize in performing a range of different medical services on an outpatient basis.

Nurses typically undergo two to three years of intensive education at a degree-granting nursing institute or university, with a strong emphasis on clinical knowledge and experience. During this time, they will gain a lot of real world experience working in a hospital, continuing to specialize in various nursing practices. Many go on to achieve a Master of Science in Nursing, further enhancing their technical and practical experience.

Ambulatory Care nurses perform many procedures a day, giving them exceptional experience and proficiency in a range of vital medical techniques.

Who Needs Ambulatory Care?

Ambulatory Care covers a wide range of procedures, meaning a wide range of patients can benefit from it.

Typically, patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment will undergo the procedure in an Ambulatory Care setting.  Blood transfusions are also usually performed on an outpatient basis by the Ambulatory Care team.

Generally speaking, any frequent or scheduled non-intensive medical procedure or treatment required by most patients will be performed by an Ambulatory Care nurse.

What Ambulatory Care Services Do We Provide?

At Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital, we are proud to offer a wide range of Ambulatory Care services to suite all patient needs. While we provide many different services and procedures, some of the most common procedures we perform include:

• Endoscopy
• Oncology Care – Chemotherapy (Intravenous & Bladder Instillation)
• Blood and blood product transfusions
• Medication Infusion
  • ~ Antibiotic
  • ~ Osteoarthritis therapies
  • ~ Immunosuppressive therapies
  • ~ TPN
• PICC Line insertion
  • ~ Port and Central Line maintenance
  • ~ Blood draws for lab
  • ~ Port flush
  • ~ Access for scheduled treatment
• Urology studies and treatment
• EEG
• Assist with LOOP procedures
• Pre-post for surgeries

Pre-Operative and Post-Operative Care

• Bariatric
• ENT
• Podiatry
• Orthopedic
• Cataract
• General Surgeries (scopes, gallbladders, hernias, appendectomies etc)
• Cardioversion & TEE’s
• Urology
• ESIs & Vein and Pain Clinics
• Oncology Care

How Long Does It Take To Recover From An Ambulatory Care Procedure?

By their very nature, Ambulatory Care procedures are done with the understanding that the patient will be able to head home following the service.

Depending on which procedure you get, there will be varying recovery times. Chemotherapy treatment can take several days for the side effects to wear off, whereas a blood transfusion will take just a few hours. Other services, such as EEG testing, have zero recovery period as they are non invasive.