II. Professional Responsibility
C. The ability to function as a member of the service team.
Selected Knowledge Areas/Skillsets
Knowledge
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Articulate the organizational structure and function of the interdisciplinary team.
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Identify the importance of advocacy in collaboration with the medical team.
Skill
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Communicate concisely with other professionals, integrating theory and evidence-based practice to obtain and share pertinent information.
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Coordinate child life services with families and professionals.
To best incorporate child life services effectively into the scope of a patient's care, it is crucial to communicate actively with other members of a child and families' care team. This collaboration helps to promote continuity of care and can inform interventions. In my first internship at Boston Children's Hospital, I have had the opportunity to build confidence and comfort in this competency, through routine communication with clinicians, attendance in rounds, completion of staff interviews, and observations of my supervisor's practices in building rapport. I have seen, firsthand, the importance of gathering information from bedside nursing or presenting developmental planning during patient rounds, as this promotes the importance of child life, while encouraging collaboration and education from one another. The team of radiologists and technologists which I was able to work with, showed such strong respect for child life and were always readily advocating for our presence and joint cooperation in the exam room. In many ways, they took on practices of child life within their roles, by practicing one voice or encouraging choices whenever possible. But by always working to coordinate with one another and collaborate with child life staff as much as possible, not only could they flourish in their respective roles, but children and families benefited as well.
Evidence
Journal Entry Week 5… After providing this explanation to a 7-year-old patient and her mother, with the help of their translator, we discussed how the VCUG differed from the MRI the patient had previously had. The mom also then provided important insights about her daughter's catheter and reflux that I shared with the medical team. While the language barrier posed a difficulty, I was able to communicate with both the mom and patient using the translator present
Journal Entry Week 8… After communicating with the radiology team about the need for an interpreter, I offered an iPad to the 5-year-old and brought in a train toy and stacking rings for the child to engage with while they waited. Once the interpreter was present, I began a formal introduction of my role and the VCUG. The patient’s mother reported that she had some prior knowledge of child life and welcomed extra support at the head of the table during the test. This would be the patient’s first VCUG after receiving numerous ultrasounds in the past, and the mother expressed anxiety about the pain, time elapsed, and experience of catheterization. To answer her questions I began with validation using phrases to show consideration for her concerns as a parent, I also spoke on experiences of other children saying “usually older kids tell us it feels a little weird or like they have to pee but our team is very gentle and the process generally takes about 15 minutes, for babies we expect them to cry, just because of the new faces and having to lay on the table.” After gathering this information, I planned to accompany mom at the head of the table to distract and comfort the infant along with helping her cope with the exam. I also passed this information along to the team of technologists and fellow for the day and they made sure to echo affirmations of prioritizing comfort and gentle approaches.
Journal Entry Week 12.. …I met with a newly admitted, deaf patient and his parents to assess their needs for comfort, coping, and communication. As I had the opportunity to attend specialized BPD rounds in the morning, I discussed a plan with the on-unit speech language pathologist on how I could best interact with this patient. With this knowledge, along with insights from his parents, I was able to provide communication boards, a speech referral, and comfort items at the bedside. To best promote multidisciplinary care and communication, I also advocated to his bedside nurse to visually show the patient what care they would be performing, to best promote his comprehension and coping.