PICC lines are often used for long-term medication or for patients who have veins that frequently “go bad”. What I mean by “going bad” is that these veins often stop working due to being overworked or because the patient has small, thin veins to begin with that collapse the second a small straw (IV) is…
Category: Education
In the Wake of a Trach
When I first began my pursuit into child life, I quickly learned that it all revolved around meeting children right where they’re at: looking at them at the same eye level requires physically squatting down speaking to them with words that they understand requires the use of developmentally-appropriate language expanding my “kid-smart” knowledge similar to…
Anxiety Checkpoints: MRI Think I Can
An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is a special scan that takes pictures of the inside of the body. On the pediatric unit, we often have patients admitted for EEGs and MRIs after experiencing a seizure or multiple seizures. This is normally a quick, 24-hour stay as we can typically get them in for an MRI…
VCU-Gee I Wish There Was A Different Way To Do This
VCUG’s are hands-down one of the worst procedures. Depending on the age of the patient, the way you provide preparation/how much time you have to prepare, and how much the parents prepared the patient at home throughout the week leading up to the procedure (this is SUPER important) can make all the difference. However, even…
creativi-TEA-party
Some days, we’re called to help with things that feel like it’s hopeless to even try… like pill swallowing and drinking water. “Could you help my six-year-old buddy learn to swallow pills?” “Oh sure, I’ll go grab my magic wand, wave it over his throat, and magically he’ll feel comfortable enough to swallow his pill.”…
A Hip, A Hop, A HIPAA Violation
While employed at the hospital, I participated in Schwartz Rounds. The first time I went, what I thought was going to be a lecture, turned out to be a ‘join-me-at-the-table discussion’ with doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, child life specialists, volunteers, and students. We discussed the very delicate topic of “What Happened To My Patient?”…
Show Don’t Tell
What did you learn in your practicum that you hope to take with you into your internship? The student simply said, “Show don’t tell,” and proceeded to talk about how if you’re not putting yourself out there on whatever unit you’re on, no matter how much education you provide the multidisciplinary staff
Resumé, Resu-May Not
As an aspiring child life specialist, it is always important that the items on your resume be resume builders not resume destroyers. Here are several land mines to try and avoid as you put together your all-star, first place, resume. When In Doubt, Leave It Out Unrelated job or volunteer experiences may make your resume…
Education Station: Chug, Chug, Toot Toot! All Aboard!
Providing education as a child life specialist can take on many different forms. Sometimes we provide education to patients as preparation for upcoming procedures such as an IV start, MRI, or CT scans. Sometimes we provide education to siblings and/or children of adult patients who may be visiting their relative for the first time. This…
Child Life, Wild Life 