Internship: Reflections Week 12

This week has been about building momentum.  My rotation in Pulmonology really revved up this week, with me trying my hand at procedural preparation and support, getting lots of experience with kids with autism, more opportunities to work with adolescents, getting the patient census, etc.  Today I went out on my own to get report from all the nurses, and this week also saw me handling lots of small tasks on my own -- like introducing child life services to new families, meeting kids, finding out their hobbies and selecting age appropriate toys, as well as figuring out which kids to invite to which activities (ie:  music group, toddler group, and some of the big hospital events like bingo and carnival).  I loved the challenge of working with the autistic kids who joined our floor this week, especially the challenge of matching appropriate toys and activities to their individual needs.

Yesterday, I experienced that wonderful confidence booster:  I had several staff members on our floor come up to me, when I was on my own - not with my teacher! - and ask me for help with some child life needs.  To top that, this morning, I had a parent ask me to help her child who was very scared about going to surgery!  That felt pretty good, and made me feel like part of the Pulmonary team!  

There were two kids, in particular, this week who touched my heart.  They were both the same age, and in the hospital for the first time.  The first was extremely anxious about being in the hospital, and terrified to undergo the procedure we went to prepare her for.  We got her through it, though it took a lot of encouragement and still involved a lot of tears.  Later that day, we helped her decorate a "shadow buddy."  These are blank dolls, that kids can decorate with markers, yarn, etc.  She designed hers to look just like her, and then wrote words coming out of the doll's mouth.  "I can't do this!" she wrote.  (Which is what she kept saying about her procedure.)  Then she crossed it out and wrote, "Oh!  That wasn't so bad."  It was like something straight out of a child life textbook.  The next day, I went back to work with her some more, helping her to perform the same procedure on her doll, complete with real needles.  She seemed to love that activity.  Giving kids a chance to reverse roles, to play out the part of the nurse or doctor, is so therapeutic.  It puts them in control, especially when they get to give the doll a needle, and helps them gain mastery over the whole hospital experience.  As we wrapped up the medical play, she told me that her doll did a great job holding still, and that her doll was scared before it started, but now she wasn't scared at all.

The second was very laid back about the whole hospital experience, but it took me several attempts to get her to come out of her room and join in some hospital activities.  Her nurse came to us, asking for help -- she refused to eat.  So, I took her for a stroll around the hospital - a very very slow stroll, as she wanted to handle her wheelchair all by herself.  She didn't need a wheelchair so much as just thought it was a good time.  We walked around, visiting several playrooms, the garden, the teen room, lobby and gift shop . . .  and somewhere along the way, I got her talking.  In the end, she confided to me that the nurse told her yesterday that as soon as she ate something, she would be allowed to go home.  She didn't want to be discharged, she said, she wanted to stay in the hospital and ride the wheelchair and elevator.  In the end, we struck a compromise -- she agreed to eat half her lunch, and I agreed to take her to the afternoon bingo event before she went home.  It all worked out as planned - she even ate more than half, and won several prizes at bingo.  When it came time to leave, she asked me for a hug, and cheerfully rode the wheelchair down to the car to go home.

All in all, a pretty good week!