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Child Life Specialist

Interviews

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Child life specialists are valuable members of the health-care team. When children enter the hospital, they're often afraid, apprehensive and confused. A child life specialist helps them through this emotional process.

"I feel like I'm professionally, creatively and emotionally stretched over and over again. It's a great feeling," says Deidre Tamlin, a child life specialist. "I love my job and feel blessed to be invited to share in the lives of hospitalized children and their families."

The road to Tamlin's well-loved career was rocky. After graduating from university and interning in a hospital, she wasn't able to find a child life job. "Jobs are few and far between in child life!"

But rather than getting discouraged and giving up, Tamlin took a career detour and worked for three years as a child and youth counselor, and one year as a child protection worker. Four years later, with a host of practical experience under her belt, she was offered a child life specialist position.

Children under Tamlin's care face serious issues. "Some of the issues apart from coping with illness are...chronic or long-term illness or trauma, eating disorders and body image, death and dying, pain management, loss of control and maintaining their person in an unfamiliar environment."

Addressing these varied issues may seem overwhelming, but Tamlin handles her workload with grace. "It's very important for me to be healthy physically, spiritually and emotionally so that when I come to work I can be effective with children or families."

Hectic days are common. "I start my day on the ward connecting with the nurses and working through the charts to see if there's anything I should be alerted to about any of the kids." Then Tamlin works with kids individually and in groups, helping them understand why they're in the hospital and assisting with stress management.

"The ways I accomplish this are through therapeutic art and play, verbal support, directive and non-directive coping and relaxation techniques. I try to follow the child's lead and help them to discover ways that are going to help them cope.

"As a non-medical person in a medical environment, I sometimes hear and see different things than the medical staff hear. I have the privilege of playing, talking and supporting rather than hurting."

Tamlin has found a satisfying career that makes her workdays worthwhile. Despite the pain and confusion she confronts every day, she still finds the positives. "The best days are when I can see right away the difference it makes in terms of coping for a child to have the opportunity to play bingo with a group in the playroom, or giggle with a volunteer in their room while playing checkers. Those are 'wow' moments!"

Tom Collins has his share of treasured moments. As the senior child life specialist in Oakland, California, Collins averages 70 to 75 client contacts a week. Collins reports many good days.

"My best days are when I've made a connection with a child and their family, or I get positive feedback." Collins works 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, with no expected overtime, although there is the potential for overtime if a child is in crisis.

Collins believes child life specialists are facing challenging times. Health-care stays are often shorter than in the past. Specialists have the dual challenge of keeping their clients' emotional and developmental needs in the forefront within a shorter timeframe.

Collins has been a child life specialist since 1975. Becoming a child life specialist wasn't his original goal. He received his master's in speech pathology and was doing a fellowship on communication disorders when a child life specialist position opened up.

Collins warns that future child life specialists may not have an easy time finding work. His advice? "Do a variety of jobs -- especially if you want to live in a particular area and not relocate."

A child life specialist's compassion definitely makes a difference. Whether future specialists choose to hit the job market right after graduation, or choose to work in a related profession for additional experience, child life specialists positively affect patients' lives, one child at a time.