A Day In the Life

Child Life Specialist 

by Dana Givens

My day at Le Bonheur Children's starts out on 7 west which is the cardiac and surgical floor. It is a very busy time in the morning with medical staff are checking charts for patients to go to procedures. I work closely with the medical team to prepare patients for procedures such as going to the Starlight Room,surgery, central line/PICC line placements, and IV starts to name a few.

In the morning I talk with the charge nurse and she fills me in on how the patients are doing and what medical procedure they will be having today. In discharge planning I get more information about the patients and families and what we, as a team, need to do to help them get home. Discharge planning involves many departments working together such as: child life, social work, case management, pharmacy, nutrition, spiritual care and surgery nurse practitioner.

My mid-morning is spent preparing my patients for procedures that they will have. I provide age appropriate/developmentally preparation for patients who will be getting a medical procedure done that might be scary or frightening. I make sure that the patients have an opportunity to have all their fears and questions addressed before their procedure.

I provide this through using pictures, medical equipment, and teaching dolls to prepare patients for their procedures, focusing on what the patient will feel, hear, see and smell. Sometime patients need extra support during their procedures. I am there to help them along the way and provide procedural support, having a familiar face and words of encourage can go along way.

I love to encourage my patients to have some fun! An important part of post surgical care is to get out of bed and walk, or as we say in the hospital, ambulate. One of the ways I encourage my patients to get up and walk is to invite them to join in on the Child Life special events. Game-a-palooza was lots of fun for the patients, families, and staff. I had lots of fun helping my patients' play and they won some cool prizes and got to walk around, which is just what the doctor ordered!

I often use art activities to help me better understand what my patients are going through and how they feel about their hospitalization. Emotions and feelings can often be represented through art. This gives me a chance to make sure they are coping well with being in the hospital. Tie-dyeing was a blast and very informative!

Another way that I make sure that my patients are coping well is to encourage them and their family to use the playroom. What better way to assess how a child is doing than to see them play? Many times patients face situations in the hospital that can be scary. Providing them with a safe environment where they can be themselves is very important to their hospital stay. After all play is what children do best!