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Spotlight: Our Child Life Specialists |
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Spotlight: Our Child Life Specialists |
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Coming to a hospital for high tech imaging tests can be a daunting experience for children and their families.
Tricia Ashe and Angela Franceschi, the Radiology Department's child life specialists, work collaboratively with the radiology team to prepare children and families for medical procedures, help empower children during these procedures and ease their fears and worries.
Equipped with bubbles, puppets, dolls, books and other toys, they are masters of distraction. Yet their edge is their vast knowledge of child development, which enables them to facilitate coping skills for children and families during invasive medical procedures, using age appropriate strategies.
Tricia, a child life specialist at the hospital for nearly 19 years, works with children of all ages who come for nuclear medicine procedures, particularly those who come for a Radionuclide Cystogram (RNC). Angela primarily helps children who come for a Voiding Cystourethrogram (VCUG). Both RNC and VCUG procedures are used to evaluate the urinary system and involve placement of a catheter.
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"Children and their parents can be very anxious about these tests," says Angela, a certified child life specialist who holds a master's degree in education. "So the first thing we do is call parents in advance so that they are prepared for what's going to happen. Then we provide them with the age-appropriate language they can use to explain the procedure to their child, which varies depending on a child's developmental stage. The way you explain something to a 2-year-old is quite different than how you would describe it to a 5 year old or an older child."
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Child life specialists ask many questions in advance to learn about the children they will see. "We know that parents know their children best, so we ask if there's a favorite blanket or doll at home they could bring in or anything else they may know that will help soothe their child," says Angela. "For example, if a parent tells me that her child likes Dora the Explorer, you can bet I will make sure a Dora book is here for the child when he or she comes in."
After talking with child life specialists in advance, many parents feel confident that their children will be able to fully cooperate in the procedures.
"For so many parents, just knowing that someone who is specially trained in helping children cope is going to be in the room -- exclusively focused on supporting their child -- is enough to make them feel secure," says Tricia.
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"A lot of what we do is reassure parents. Children pick up on anxieties that adults have, so if adults are calm and confident, the children, even babies, will pick up on this as well," she says.
During the procedure, child life specialists try to help parents help their children, providing them with language they might use to reassure their child. "Parents typically aren't sure about what they can and can't do, so just letting them know that they can go lean over their child and hug them may make all the difference" says Tricia.
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Breathing exercises are an excellent way to help children relax through difficult moments, such as placement of a catheter or an intravenous injection. Child life specialists teach young children breathing techniques in creative ways, such as having them blow into a colorful windmill. In addition to breathing, using the appropriate words, visual imagery, music or watching a video sometimes does the trick, but often calming a child is as simple as blowing bubbles.
"I remember one incident where a very young child was very upset, so I started blowing bubbles and it was like I turned off a switch," says Tricia. "She was just mesmerized by the bubbles. After that she was able to remain calm."
Most imaging procedures require children to remain still, something that can seem next to impossible for a young child. Enter the child life specialist. "Often it's a matter of presenting a child with choices," says Angela. "For example, we may say, "Would you like to hold your legs by yourself or would you like me to help you?"
Child life services have become very important to families who benefited from them in the past and must return for additional tests. Many of these families like to call Tricia or Angela in advance to be sure that they will be there for their child's next appointment.
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Tricia fondly recalls a 4-year-old girl who came in for a nuclear medicine test and remembered the Tweety balloon she received when she came for the same test a year before. The child's mother asked about Tweety. "So I looked for another Tweety balloon," she says. "I wasn't hopeful I'd find one, but opened my drawer and there was a Tweety stuffed animal that I didn't even know I had. I showed it to the mother from afar and we both couldn't believe it! The little girl was very happy to get her Tweety and I'm fairly certain that's what she'll remember most about her experience."
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Kids who have outgrown balloons and bubbles can benefit from having someone coach them through their anxieties. Angela recalls a 17-year old girl who was very anxious about having a VCUG. Most of her anxiety came from not fully understanding what the test involved, says Angela.
"When she came in she was literally shaking," she says. "The anxiety was overwhelming her. I told her if she wanted, I could stay with her and help her with her breathing. So I stayed and coached her through it and afterward she said, 'You know, that really was okay. It wasn't fun, but it was okay.' "
Both Tricia and Angela say they feel rewarded every day they come to work in one way or another. "Sometimes you wonder, gosh, did I make a difference today?" says Tricia. "And then you see that smile on a child's face or a tear in a parent's eye because they were able to help a child through a procedure and they didn't think that they could, and it's the most rewarding feeling."
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