Logan Reid
Providence Children's Health, a leader in pediatric care in Oregon, employs child life specialists to work with children and their families in the healthcare setting. These professionals are trained in child development, coping mechanisms, and medical preparation to help reduce the stress and anxiety associated with hospital visits. They provide age-appropriate activities, education, and emotional support to ease the experience for young patients and their families. Providence's child life specialists are an integral part of their compassionate teams, ensuring children receive the best possible care.
What You'll Learn
Child Life Internships
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Portland, OR
The Child Life Internship Program at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center offers a comprehensive 600-hour Child Life internship program open to college or university-affiliated students seeking certification as Child Life Specialists. The internship is offered to one student per term in Fall and Spring. The program offers extensive and varied opportunities to meet the standards set forth by the Certifying Committee of the ACLP (Association of Child Life Professionals).
Sacred Heart Children's Hospital, WA
Sacred Heart Children's Hospital hosts biannual internship experiences for university-affiliated students. The hospital accepts one intern per session, occurring in Fall and Winter/Spring. The programs offer rich and diverse opportunities for both observational and hands-on learning, under the supervision and mentorship of experienced Certified Child Life Specialists.
Covenant Children's Hospital, TX
Covenant Children's Hospital offers a child life internship program for students who wish to pursue a career in this field. Students can complete a practicum experience, which allows them to learn through reading, observing, and interacting with certified child life specialists. The practicum curriculum involves both clinical and non-clinical requirements, including complete required readings, reflect on experiences in daily journals, plan activities, and more. The practicum student must complete a minimum of 120 hours.
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Child-Centred Play
At Providence, child life specialists use play as a tool to teach children about their time in the hospital, a technique known as medical play. They also provide playrooms, mobile play carts, and teen lounges to encourage a sense of normalcy and fun for hospitalised children. Play can help children communicate, express themselves, and escape the often-scary reality of their medical situation.
Child life specialists at Providence offer support to children and their families before, during, and after medical procedures. They help children cooperate with medicine and treatments, manage pain without medication, and cope with the emotional impact of injury, illness, or a loved one's diagnosis. These specialists work with the child's entire care team to ensure family-centred care.
Overall, child-centred play is an essential component of the work done by child life specialists at Providence. By incorporating play into the hospital experience, these specialists help reduce the stress and trauma associated with medical procedures, improve children's coping mechanisms, and facilitate their overall development and well-being.
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Medical Preparation
Child Life Specialists at Providence are trained in child development, coping, and medical preparation. They employ a mix of education, play, therapeutic, and self-expression activities to help children and their families cope with the challenges of hospitalization, illness, and disability.
Certified Child Life Specialists at Providence are trained to provide developmentally appropriate preparation and education prior to procedures. They use age-appropriate educational materials so that young patients can see, feel, hear, and touch things with which they will come in contact during a procedure, test, or hospital stay. This helps to reduce a child's fears and anxieties about their care.
Child Life Specialists also provide support during procedures, using play as a primary tool to teach children about their time at the hospital. This is called medical play, and it can be used to normalize the hospital environment and encourage mastery. Playrooms, mobile play carts, and teen lounges are also available for children to use as an escape and to have fun.
In addition to play, Child Life Specialists offer therapeutic activities and developmentally appropriate interventions. They provide support for children dealing with the illness or injury of a loved one, as well as guidance for adults caring for a critically ill parent or grandparent. They also facilitate visits with family members who are in the hospital and provide support before and after the visit.
Child Life Specialists at Providence are committed to giving children the best possible experience and ensuring that families have the support they need during stressful times. They work with the multidisciplinary care team to advocate for family-centered care and provide services that are free of charge.
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Family Support
A hospital visit can be a scary experience for children and their families. Child Life Specialists at Providence are trained in child development, coping, and medical preparation to help reduce a child's anxieties and fears about their care. They provide support for the emotions each family member may feel during a hospital stay. Child Life Specialists work with the multidisciplinary care team to advocate for family-centred care. They also provide information and support to families, addressing issues such as when a child has difficulty cooperating with medicine or treatments.
Child Life Specialists at Providence offer age-appropriate play or therapeutic activities to help children cope with their hospitalization and illness. Play is a primary tool that allows children to communicate, express themselves, and escape. Play can be used to normalize the hospital environment and encourage mastery. This is called medical play, where children can learn about their time at the hospital. There are playrooms on inpatient units, mobile play carts, and teen lounges.
The Child Life team at Providence helps families cope with stressful healthcare experiences. They provide support for a child and their family after a new diagnosis, injury, or illness. They also offer support for any child dealing with the death of a loved one. In instances where a child is nearing death, Child Life Specialists work with siblings to help them understand and can assist the family in creating memory items if desired.
Providence Children's Health serves tens of thousands of children in Oregon each year, offering everything from routine primary care to emergency and hospital care for newborns, children, and teens. Their compassionate teams aim to give children the best possible experience. They also offer a Child Life Internship Program for students seeking certification as Child Life Specialists.
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Pain Management
Providence Children's Health in Oregon offers a range of services, from primary care to emergency and hospital care for newborns, children, and teens. The hospital employs Child Life Specialists who work with children and their families to help them cope with the challenges of hospitalization, illness, and disability.
Child Life Specialists are pediatric healthcare professionals who provide age-appropriate activities, education, and coping strategies to help with hospital stays, illness, and pain management. They also help children and their families prepare for medical procedures, cope with stressful situations, and address difficulties cooperating with medicine or treatments.
At Providence, Child Life Specialists offer support for pain management through non-medicinal techniques. They also work with a multidisciplinary team, including medical providers, physical therapists, integrative medicine practitioners, psychological support experts, social workers, and spiritual care professionals, to enhance the quality of life and overall well-being of their young patients.
Additionally, Child Life Specialists at Providence are experts in the developmental and psychological impact of illness and injury on children. They hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree in child development or a related field and maintain nationally accredited certification. They are dedicated to making the hospital experience as positive and stress-free as possible for children and their families.
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Frequently asked questions
A child life specialist is a trained professional who works with children and families in hospitals to help them cope with the challenges of hospitalization, illness, and injury. They provide age-appropriate activities, education, and coping strategies to reduce the stress and trauma of the hospital experience.
Yes, Providence Hospital does employ child life specialists. They have a team of certified child life specialists at their hospitals, including Sacred Heart Children's Hospital and St. Vincent Medical Center.
Child life specialists at Providence Hospital offer a range of services to support children and their families. They provide emotional support, help with coping strategies, and address fears and anxieties about medical procedures. They also facilitate visits with family members in the hospital and offer age-appropriate play and therapeutic activities. Additionally, they assist children in using non-medicinal pain management techniques and provide support after a new diagnosis, injury, or illness.
