b'Medicine & ResearchHow a Child Life Specialist How a Child Life Specialist can Assist Children with Pediatric MScan Assist Children with Pediatric MSThey serve as advocates for needs of the families and the patient They serve as advocates for needs of the families and the patient with the rest of the medical team.with the rest of the medical team.By Darbi Haynes-Lawrence, PhDBeing admitted to a hospital can be frighteningWhile the career of child life might be for anyone, especially a child. Children mayunfamiliar, the career has been around since not have the language development skills tothe mid-1960s. According to the Association ask questions, adequately express whereof Child Life Professionals, the career was something hurts, or describe a funny feelingstarted by a group of well-meaning women such as pins and needles in an extremity.who wanted to make changes in healthcare, They are typically feeling one very strongspecicallybycreatingchild-andfamily-emotion when it comes to the eld of medicinefriendly hospital environments. Other medicalfear. Most children dread going to a well-childprofessionals agreed, and the eld was born. visit for fear of getting a vaccination. ImagineThe eld has developed since 1967, establishing being sick enough to need to go to the hospital.the theoretical basis for their work. On top of not feeling well, fearing getting aFamily and patient advocatesshot is at the forefront of their minds.The goal of a child life specialist is to help A new eld is born thechildslifestayasnormalaspossible When a child with pediatric onset multiplewhile in the hospital. Child life specialists sclerosis is admitted to a childrens hospital,focus on children, and their families. They such as St. Louis Childrens, they are met withexplainallmedicalprocedurestoachild a child life specialist. These individuals areusing developmentally appropriate words to not nurses; they do not draw blood or givehelp navigate the stress and fear surrounding any shots. Rather, a child life specialist is anan illness or injury. That means they explain individual who has at least a bachelors degree,the medical procedure to the child and the typically in a program such as Child and Family Services; a vast knowledge of child developmentfamily in a way that everyone, especially the from birth to age 18; and is an expert in otherchild, understands The goal is to normalize topics such as stress, grief, play, and familythe procedure as much as possible and remove systems and dynamics. These highly educatedfears surrounding it. A child life specialist professionalshavecompleteda600-hourmight use play to help educate a child a better clinical internship experience before beingunderstanding of a procedure, which can allowed to take their certication exam. Manyremove the scary behind it. Sometimes, it child life specialists have masters degrees.is the not knowing that can increase the The majority of child life specialists work infear about medical procedures. The child life hospitals. They can also be found employed inspecialistworkshardwiththepatientto offices, such as pediatric dentistry, and medical clinics; some make routine home visits tomake sure their voices are heard, they are children in home care, and others work inempowered,andtheyunderstand whatis hospice. happening in their healthcare situation.msfocusmagazine.org 20'