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.