V. Administration
A. The ability to develop and evaluate child life services
Selected Knowledge Area/Skillset
Knowledge
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Identify program components that require assessment
Skill
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Develop and prioritize the range of child life services.
Within child life, there remains an important professional structure which helps encourage development and growth, not only on an institutional level but also as it relates to the larger work and success of the child life profession. Many child life departments have committees and/or department heads which create a foundation for supervision, collaboration, and networking during one’s day to day. Additional opportunities for development of child life services, includes communication and collaboration with larger hospital administration, non-profits, or institutions. In establishing a child life program or provision of services a variety of factors must be considered, including clinicians compensations, patient caseload, and goals/needs of the population.
During my time as a child life intern, I was able to communicate with my supervisors about their personal systems of prioritization and time management, often balancing patient needs, with their own meetings, agendas, and workloads. Additional opportunities to understand the administrative role of child life included attending the New England Child Life Professionals Conference and enrollment in the Program Development course. At NECLP, I was exposed to a variety of child life professionals and interacted with them through presentations, Q/A sessions, and active discussions about their roles, responsibilities, and programs. In the Program Development course, led by BCH Child Life Department Head Suzanne Graca, I was able to trial mock grant and conference proposals to practice skills of professional development and presentation. These skills and experiences allowed me to experience and better understand the unique ways in which administrative tasks and goals remain an active part of the child life role, regardless of the unit or position.
Evidence
Good Shepherd Pedi Pal Journal Entry Week 7… I began this week by attending the New England Child Life Professionals Conference hosted at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, Connecticut. Not only did this event provide me with unique and valuable experiences to learn about relevant topics in the child life field, but I was also able to network and interact with a variety of other child life professionals, all with varied backgrounds, patient populations, and perspectives. In registering, I chose to attend sessions on “Building Blocks of Resilience” and “Guided Imagery and Hypnosis” along with the introductory and keynote presentations on “Spiritual Care” and “Gender Affirming Healthcare.” These variety of topics and clinical perspectives helped highlight the breadth of child life work and potentials for interventions and interdisciplinary work. Through reflections with my peers and discussions during the sessions, I found that key takeaways included: the importance of using skills of advocacy for yourself as a clinician to protect boundaries and better support patients and families, sharing options of alternative medicine and holistic care with families to better expand their potential for choice, and respecting pronouns through both charting and unit-wide education. 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.