USC University Hospital is committed to the highest standards of patient care. Shared Governance also allows each nurse the opportunity to take an active role in the decision making process. Management philosophies promote the sharing of skill, knowledge and harmony among staff members, which ultimately benefit the overall hospital hospital operation and its patients.

The hospital is committed to the professional development of its nursing staff through personalized opportunities for growth, including innovative programs for continuing education and specialty training. In keeping with this philosophy of personalization, each nurse works closely with a preceptor in designing his or her own customized orientation based on need, background and experience.

Specialty nursing units include the following:

Operating Room: The Operating Rooms are designed to provide the highest standards of care in an environment conducive to the well being of patients. There are 14 modern and well-equipped operating rooms that offer a wide range of surgical, recovery and outpatient services including a transplantation program.

Outpatient Surgery Center: Outpatient surgery is offered with the patients’ convenience in mind. The center treats patients preoperatively, intraoperatively and postoperatively (PACU and second stage areas) in one centralized location. There are eight modern, well- equipped operating rooms and lithotripsy which perform surgical procedures in the following specialties: ophthalmology, plastics, orthopedics, general surgery, vascular, urology, ENT and gynecology.

ICU: (7 south) this 18-bed multispecialty, general Intensive Care Unit focuses on non-cardiac thoracic esophageal reconstruction, microvascular, plastic surgery general procedures. It also specializes in orthopedics, ENT/head and neck reconstructive surgery, general medicine, pulmonary services, neurology and neurosurgery.

ICU: (4 south) This 8-bed general ICU accommodates, vascular, cardiology, orthopedic and gastrointestinal patients.

CTICU: This 10 –bed unit specializes in the care of patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery, heart/lung transplantation and interventional cardiology procedures, as well as treatment for acute MI and congestive heart failure.

ATICU: This 8-bed abdominal organ transplant unit accommodates liver, kidney, pancreas, and small bowl transplant as well as nephrology and hepatology patients.

Telemetry: This 21-bed Step Down Unit cares for a variety of post ICU patients along with patients requiring ventilatory support or more intensive nursing care than is available in med/surg telemetry. (7North): this 34-bed unit cares for patients following gastric bypass, transthoractic nissen, major foregut surgeries and a wide variety of general surgeries, including neurological and ENT. We also have patients with specialized epilepsy monitoring which includes continuous EEG and video monitoring. (5 North): This 34-bed cardiothoracic telemetry unit specializes in the care of patients after open-heart surgery, heart/lung transplantation, and vascular surgical patients, who no longer require ICU care.

Medical/Plastics Specialty:  (6 South): Patients types on this 32-bed unit include hepatology and liver transplantation, renal transplant, adult cystic fibrosis, pain management. (6 North): The patient types on the 34-bed unit include joint replacement, orthopedic spine, infected bone and orthopedic oncology.

Psychiatric: This 12-bed adult inpatient specializes in the multidisciplinary treatment of psychiatric/medical problems of the elderly. The inpatients and outpatients programs provide evaluation and treatment for patients who have medical conditions, in addition to experiencing the following psychiatric symptoms: depression, anxiety, memory loss, impaired judgment, behavioral personality changes and confusion or unusual thoughts.

Requirements