II. Professional Responsibility
A. The ability to practice within the scope of professional and personal knowledge and skill base
Selected Knowledge Area/Skillset
Knowledge
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Manage overlaps in scope of practice with other professions
Skill
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Coordinate care with the healthcare team and families based on specified scope of practice
To best support the needs and goals of the child and family, child life is a professional speciality contained within a network of many other interdisciplinary team members, clinicians, and administrators. With this in mind, child life specialists must actively work to understand their scope of practice along with the roles and responsibilities of other professionals to best educate and advocate for the needs of children and families which they serve. This includes, attending interdisciplinary meetings, providing relevant information and updates, advocating for appropriate and relevant care using clinical judgment, and accompanying patients during procedures or visits, when needed or requested. Additional skills useful and relevant to a professional child life practice include an ongoing medical procedure and terminology knowledge, open and honest communication with other clinicians, and self-reflection on personal or professional boundaries.
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Reflecting on the skills and the practices of the professionals I have worked and learned from during my clinical internships, I have seen firsthand the importance of clinical rapport and judgment. At Boston Children’s Hospital, I was able to attend daily rounds and multidisciplinary case conferences on the medical intensive care unit. In these meetings, I learned valuable information about the breadth of an ICU team and the ways in which clinicians understood and valued child life. During my second placement, at Good Shepherd Community Care Pedi Pal, I was also able to observe and even offer my observations during interdisciplinary and staff meetings. This exposure to the larger clinical staff and teams which support a child and family allowed me to better understand how to adjust my observations and use professional judgment to only share relevant information. Additionally, I observed as clinicians advocated for their patient’s needs while valuing their own personal time, and was able to gain practice doing so in my own independent visits.
Evidence
Good Shepherd Pedi Pal Journal Entry Week 1… I was both excited and amazed to hear about the work which Jessica has done for patients and families as it helped me to imagine the wealth of potential opportunities for growth in interactions this semester. In one story, she reflected on her ability to not only create custom Build-a-Bears for a family going through a child loss but also make a connection with a staff member at build a bear and run an event there for Pedi Pal children and their families’. Using her guidance I am eager to help in planning the Pedi Pal fall event by contacting and coordinating with accessible farms for apple and/or pumpkin picking. Not only in this large scale project work, but as I begin my work to shadow Jessica on home visits this week I look forward to seeing how these day to day interactions and projects help create trust, comfort, and build lasting relationships.
Good Shepherd Pedi Pal Journal Entry Week 3… Entering into the third week of my internship session at Good Shepherd, I was eager for the opportunity to continue visits with Jessica and attend the bi-weekly Pedi Pal staff meeting with a more in-depth understanding of the patients and families which we’d be discussing. As I’ve seen through Jessica’s communication with patients and families and through other clinicians’ reflections on their experiences, visits and caseload can be very likely to change or increase throughout the week, depending upon need. Knowing this I found it helpful to use skills of prioritization to find personal times when schoolwork or other needs took precedence, so I could take advantage of as many visits and learning opportunities as possible.
Good Shepherd Pedi Pal Journal Entry Week 5.. On Wednesday, I joined Jessica and the Pedi Pal team for their bi-weekly interdisciplinary team meeting. Having been on more visits in the past few weeks, I was able to recognize more names from the census and add my own insights about their progress, care, or needs, as relevant. Additionally, I had the opportunity to join Jessica and Iliana during the Family Engagement meeting. This webinar was the first of a five week training program, run through Boston Children’s and The Brazelton Touchpoint Center, to highlight the importance of family involvement and consideration. During this session, we spoke about a strengths based approach in which clinicians seek to recognize the positives which each family brings, regardless of the difficulties we may encounter with them. This was a great reminder of principles taught in Paul’s class and additionally allowed me to see the wide range of clinical backgrounds seeking to utilize similar skills (ABA, Special Ed, OT, Speech, etc.).
Good Shepherd Pedi Pal Journal Entry Week 7.. In conversations with professionals, some reflected on lingering feelings on burnout following the COVID-19 pandemic and during the current child and adolescent mental health crisis. They spoke about the importance of having an organized team and communicative administration to help manage these transitions and support the needs of an ever-changing and growing field. This team support structure is one I have seen firsthand at Good Shepherd, as the child life staff works both directly and in collaboration with social workers, nursing, music therapists, and case managers. Not only has this helped me see the wide range of resources which children and families depend upon for their care but also creates a professional network of support to share needs, challenges, and successes with one another.
Good Shepherd Pedi Pal Journal Entry Week 9… Additionally, this week I was able to perform my first independent home visit. This patient has been in my caseload each week since I began and I was excited to see how routine and familiar this visit felt, even without the in-person support of Jessica. Following her guidance and patterns of caregiver conversations leading into intervention, I was able to collect important updates from the family and fulfill a meaningful project with the patient. With this experience and more opportunities upcoming for independence, I am eager to grow in my confidence and clinical skills.