Patients receive chemotherapy (cancer-fighting drugs), blood products, and other medicines in the Medicine Room on an outpatient basis.
The Medicine Room is located on the northeast side of the Ambulatory Care Unit on the first floor of the Patient Care Center. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays.
St. Jude patients may be seen by the doctor on call for concerns that occur outside regular clinic hours. On weekends and after 5 p.m. on weekdays, the Medicine Room operates the after-hours clinic.
To assure the right treatment for your child, several steps must occur before we can treat your child in the Medicine Room. These steps depend on what day and time you arrive at the hospital.
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When you arrive at the hospital, stop in Patient Registration to get your child’s ID armband and schedule card. If the schedule has an Assessment and Triage visit, your child’s name will be called on the overhead speaker. If you do not have an Assessment and Triage visit planned, go to the patient representative at your next scheduled location.
During visits in your child’s primary clinic, the doctor will write the order for any medicine your child will receive in the Medicine Room.
After you leave the clinic visit, the doctor’s order will be processed. Please check in with the patient representative just outside the Medicine Room. This lets the staff know that your child is waiting to be seen. Because of limited space and privacy needs, please stay in the waiting area until your child's name is called on the overhead speaker.
The doctor’s order must first go to the Pharmacy. Then, the Pharmacy delivers the medicine to the Medicine Room. Two registered nurses must check the medicine to make sure it is what the doctor ordered. Then, your child will be called to the Medicine Room. If delays occur in any part of this process, your child might be called to the Medicine Room later than planned.
If you need to come to the Medicine Room before your child is called, please stop at the front desk inside the Medicine Room. The patient representative will be glad to help you. If there is a problem, ask for the resource nurse during the day. A nursing coordinator is also in the hospital at all times to help you.
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When the clinics close at 5 pm, patients come to the Medicine Room for unplanned visits—central line problems, fever or illness.
After 5 pm, you will begin your hospital visits in Patient Registration. After 10 pm, the Medicine Room staff will register your child.
After registering, you will take your child to Assessment and Triage. After 5:30 pm, the Medicine Room staff will assess and triage your child.
The patient representative’s desk is not staffed on weeknights, so after your child has been assessed come directly to the Medicine Room. You might be asked to wait outside in the lobby after check-in. When the Medicine Room nurses are ready for your child, you will hear his name called on the overhead speaker.
If you need to schedule follow-up visits, a nurse scheduler is in the Medicine Room Monday–Friday from 5–8 pm.
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Your first stop will be in Patient Registration for your child’s ID armband. Then, the staff will direct you to either Assessment and Triage or the Medicine Room for vital signs and to have samples taken for lab tests. If you need to schedule follow-up visits, a nurse scheduler is in the Medicine Room on weekends from 7 am–7 pm.
If your child might have an illness that can spread to others:
If you think your child might have been exposed to an illness that could spread to other patients, please call before coming to the hospital. Call 901-595-3300 and ask for the nursing coordinator. If you are outside the Memphis area, dial toll-free 1-866-2STJUDE (1-866-278-5833).
Your child might need to have an isolation visit.
Doctor on-call
Parents can speak to a doctor after hours for urgent needs by calling the main operator at 901-595-3300 and asking for the doctor on-call. If you are outside the Memphis area, dial toll-free 1-866-2STJUDE (1-866-278-5833), and press 0.