This week, I met a family who was devastated by their healthy baby randomly coding, escalating into pretty immediate brain death, and therefore dragging them into the longest three days of their lives. I met the family shortly after the code had happened and the child was intubated. The doctors needed to place an art…
Runner Ups and Second Chances
I’ve had several students express strong, emotional feelings about getting an offer on second offer day. “They didn’t pick me first” “They didn’t want me first” “They wanted someone else and then chose me when the other student said no” Did you know that the song, “Hit Me Baby One More Time”- one of…
What I Wish I Knew: Skills Needed Edition
STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
What I Wish I Knew: Heavy Realizations Edition
STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
What I Wish I Knew: Odd Jobs Edition
STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
What I Wish I Knew: Staff Education Edition
STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
What I Wish I Knew: Bereavement Edition
STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
What I Wish I Knew: Workplace Edition
STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
What I Wish I Knew: Patients and Procedures Edition
The idea of “child life” is appealing to a lot of people. I hear it often from staff, patients and families – “You get to play all day?! THAT’S your job? Lucky you!” And they’re not wrong. A lot of what I’m trained to do is engage children in developmentally appropriate play – whether that’s…
Hustling and Confident for the Last Seven Years
I have always had a passion for students. Taking it way back to when I was a child playing with my sister, I was always the teacher during our pretend play. I had toyed with the idea of going to school to be a teacher, but didn’t love the aspect of a room full of…
Passing the Baton: From Intern to CCLS
This whole child life journey and experience feels like a race. From start to finish, it feels like you just have to keep running. Slowing down is not an option and running seems to be the only way to keep making progress and eventually get you where you want to be. Bye Bye Internship You’re…
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Rainbows are bright spots usually appearing in bleak weather. They are colorful bridges that blend their hues together to make an optical phenomenon. Rainbows are also fleeting – when you catch a glimpse of one, soak it in while you can! You know who else does that? Child life specialists. The Bright Spots In a…
Child Life, Wild Life 