Child Life Specialists

Child life specialists at Moffitt-Long Hospital provide pretty cool services for the pediatrics ward. Their goal is reduce the stress, unfamiliarity, and fear of staying in the hospital. For example, we had a specialist come to talk to one of our patients, a five year old, about getting an EEG for seizure characterization. The child life specialist came in with a doll, toy EEG leads, markers, and other tools to explain what they would do for the EEG. She talked perfectly to the child's developmental stage, explaining things in terms that she would understand and focusing on concerns children have (does it hurt? can I go to the bathroom?). I was impressed by the job they did.

As adults and as adults working in a hospital, we often forget how scary such a place is for a child. We forget that the MRI makes loud noises yet requires a patient to stay still. We forget that we use technical language that children don't understand. But they are the patients and our focus must be on their well-being. Child life services provides the emotional and psychological support that they need. They can also provide educational services (contacting schools for homework, providing tutoring) and recreation for hospitalized children (including wii).