Selected Podcast
Child Life Services: An Invaluable Asset to Children’s Hospital
Erin Hurlock explores the Child Life Services that WakeMed has to offer as well as the specialists that can help you and your child.
Featured Speaker:
Erin Hurlock, BS, CCLS
Erin Hurlock, BS, CCLS is a Supervisor, WakeMed Child Life Services. Transcription:
Child Life Services: An Invaluable Asset to Children’s Hospital
Caitlin Whyte (Host): Here at WakeMed, we are committed to providing resources to parents and families to create the best environment for your children's time with us. So, to tell you more about our Child Life Services and Specialists, we are joined by Erin Hurlock, the Supervisor of WakeMed's Child Life Services.
This is WakeMed Voices, a podcast brought to you by WakeMed Children's in Raleigh, North Carolina. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. All right, Erin, starting us off here, who are Child Life Specialists?
Erin Hurlock, BS, CCLS (Guest): Yeah, that's a great question. So, Child Life Specialists are actually certified professionals here at WakeMed and we have bachelor's or master's level degrees in Child Life, Child Development, Family Studies or other related fields. We typically complete a 600 hour clinical internship and pass a certification exam that's upheld by the Association of Childlife Professionals or ACLP.
Host: Can you tell us more, what areas do Child Life Specialists provide services in at WakeMed Childrens?
Erin: Absolutely. Here at WakeMed Childrens, you might spot us in several different places throughout this hospital system, typically on the Raleigh campus only. But these areas include the children's emergency department, the pediatric unit, the pediatric intensive care unit, pediatric rehab, the behavioral unit specified for pediatrics, day surgery and endoscopy.
We try to focus on pediatric patients and family members, newborn to 17 years of age. And we typically also respond to pediatric codes, rapid responses, behavioral health responses, trauma, and consults to our adult intensive care units.
Host: Well let's dig a bit more into your role. What exactly does a Child Life Specialist do?
Erin: Absolutely. So, Certified Child Life Specialists provide evidence-based and developmentally appropriate interventions, including therapeutic play, preparation and education that completely reduces fear, anxiety, and pain for the children that we serve here at WakeMed Children's. In a nutshell, we help kids and families cope with the stress and anxiety that can often accompany the hospital experience. We're definitely trained in teaching children and adolescents about medical procedures in that developmentally appropriate manner to further meet the specific needs of that child and facilitate coping methods. So, we are family centered and we definitely cater to meet the needs of the child and family.
Host: Wonderful. This sounds incredible. So, my next question is a two-parter. How do you interact with families and then how do you guys interact with staff?
Erin: Great questions. With families and children specifically, we really try to focus on making the pediatric patient's hospitalization a positive experience, and we do this by reducing the stress and anxiety for these children and families regarding the medical environment and experiences. So, maybe we go in and we just bring toys and really engage that child in play to help normalize that environment. We also prepare children, teens, and families for the hospitalization, medical procedures and even surgery. And we do this preparation according to what's developmentally appropriate for that child.
We help to promote distraction and coping during medical procedures or examinations that may be painful for the pediatric patient. We also try to encourage self-expression through general play, medical play and therapeutic activities. Maybe something like painting on a canvas. We provide developmentally appropriate resources and comfort items to promote coping for our pediatric patients and families.
We can bring them to our playrooms. We can provide them movies. And then of course we support that emotional need as well. In regards to supporting staff, we like to lead educational workshops or inservices. We do a lot of presentations that highlight the care of pediatric patients and how to engage with these patients in those developmentally appropriate manners. We also do a lot of collaborating with other medical team members to create educational resources for our patients and families and medical staff that work in our outlying WakeMed facilities.
Host: It sounds like a really gratifying position. Can you tell us the most rewarding parts of your job?
Erin: I think knowing that even in the toughest of cases, you're able to help to support a child and their family through that experience, you're paying witness to their strength and resilience.
Host: Oh, I love to hear that. Now, what does a typical day look like for you and your team? If there is such thing as a typical day.
Erin: Right. It's definitely a little bit of controlled chaos at its best, for sure. But in a day of a Child Life Specialist, life lessons are definitely learned. There's a lot of gray area. And after the tears have cleared, we get to experience so many moments of joy, lots of bubble blowing, Play-Doh squeezing, song singing, storytelling, silly face making, playing, listening, teaching. And a lot of handholding is what a day looks like for us.
Host: Well, wrapping up here, Erin, what does it mean for you that WakeMed Children's considers this such an integral role within our pediatric service line?
Erin: I personally always really like to speak for our team. We're definitely so integrated here, but I love that WakeMed values teamwork. It's that multidisciplinary team approach that makes our work as Child Life Specialists so successful. So, the Child Life Department is honored to stand beside the best of the best in supporting our youngest patients through their hospital experiences.
Host: Wonderful Erin, is there anything else you'd like us to know about the Child Life Services?
Erin: I think that we just love giving back to our community. We love being a face for WakeMed Children's and like I said, we are honored to be here and play a part in our patient stories day in and day out. So thank you so much.
Host: Well, just some wonderful and helpful information here. Thank you for joining us today, and for all you do Erin. To learn more about WakeMed Children's Hospital and Child Life Services, please visit wakemed.org. And thank you for listening. I'm Caitlin Whyte with WakeMed Voices brought to you by WakeMed Children's in Raleigh, North Carolina. Stay well.
Child Life Services: An Invaluable Asset to Children’s Hospital
Caitlin Whyte (Host): Here at WakeMed, we are committed to providing resources to parents and families to create the best environment for your children's time with us. So, to tell you more about our Child Life Services and Specialists, we are joined by Erin Hurlock, the Supervisor of WakeMed's Child Life Services.
This is WakeMed Voices, a podcast brought to you by WakeMed Children's in Raleigh, North Carolina. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. All right, Erin, starting us off here, who are Child Life Specialists?
Erin Hurlock, BS, CCLS (Guest): Yeah, that's a great question. So, Child Life Specialists are actually certified professionals here at WakeMed and we have bachelor's or master's level degrees in Child Life, Child Development, Family Studies or other related fields. We typically complete a 600 hour clinical internship and pass a certification exam that's upheld by the Association of Childlife Professionals or ACLP.
Host: Can you tell us more, what areas do Child Life Specialists provide services in at WakeMed Childrens?
Erin: Absolutely. Here at WakeMed Childrens, you might spot us in several different places throughout this hospital system, typically on the Raleigh campus only. But these areas include the children's emergency department, the pediatric unit, the pediatric intensive care unit, pediatric rehab, the behavioral unit specified for pediatrics, day surgery and endoscopy.
We try to focus on pediatric patients and family members, newborn to 17 years of age. And we typically also respond to pediatric codes, rapid responses, behavioral health responses, trauma, and consults to our adult intensive care units.
Host: Well let's dig a bit more into your role. What exactly does a Child Life Specialist do?
Erin: Absolutely. So, Certified Child Life Specialists provide evidence-based and developmentally appropriate interventions, including therapeutic play, preparation and education that completely reduces fear, anxiety, and pain for the children that we serve here at WakeMed Children's. In a nutshell, we help kids and families cope with the stress and anxiety that can often accompany the hospital experience. We're definitely trained in teaching children and adolescents about medical procedures in that developmentally appropriate manner to further meet the specific needs of that child and facilitate coping methods. So, we are family centered and we definitely cater to meet the needs of the child and family.
Host: Wonderful. This sounds incredible. So, my next question is a two-parter. How do you interact with families and then how do you guys interact with staff?
Erin: Great questions. With families and children specifically, we really try to focus on making the pediatric patient's hospitalization a positive experience, and we do this by reducing the stress and anxiety for these children and families regarding the medical environment and experiences. So, maybe we go in and we just bring toys and really engage that child in play to help normalize that environment. We also prepare children, teens, and families for the hospitalization, medical procedures and even surgery. And we do this preparation according to what's developmentally appropriate for that child.
We help to promote distraction and coping during medical procedures or examinations that may be painful for the pediatric patient. We also try to encourage self-expression through general play, medical play and therapeutic activities. Maybe something like painting on a canvas. We provide developmentally appropriate resources and comfort items to promote coping for our pediatric patients and families.
We can bring them to our playrooms. We can provide them movies. And then of course we support that emotional need as well. In regards to supporting staff, we like to lead educational workshops or inservices. We do a lot of presentations that highlight the care of pediatric patients and how to engage with these patients in those developmentally appropriate manners. We also do a lot of collaborating with other medical team members to create educational resources for our patients and families and medical staff that work in our outlying WakeMed facilities.
Host: It sounds like a really gratifying position. Can you tell us the most rewarding parts of your job?
Erin: I think knowing that even in the toughest of cases, you're able to help to support a child and their family through that experience, you're paying witness to their strength and resilience.
Host: Oh, I love to hear that. Now, what does a typical day look like for you and your team? If there is such thing as a typical day.
Erin: Right. It's definitely a little bit of controlled chaos at its best, for sure. But in a day of a Child Life Specialist, life lessons are definitely learned. There's a lot of gray area. And after the tears have cleared, we get to experience so many moments of joy, lots of bubble blowing, Play-Doh squeezing, song singing, storytelling, silly face making, playing, listening, teaching. And a lot of handholding is what a day looks like for us.
Host: Well, wrapping up here, Erin, what does it mean for you that WakeMed Children's considers this such an integral role within our pediatric service line?
Erin: I personally always really like to speak for our team. We're definitely so integrated here, but I love that WakeMed values teamwork. It's that multidisciplinary team approach that makes our work as Child Life Specialists so successful. So, the Child Life Department is honored to stand beside the best of the best in supporting our youngest patients through their hospital experiences.
Host: Wonderful Erin, is there anything else you'd like us to know about the Child Life Services?
Erin: I think that we just love giving back to our community. We love being a face for WakeMed Children's and like I said, we are honored to be here and play a part in our patient stories day in and day out. So thank you so much.
Host: Well, just some wonderful and helpful information here. Thank you for joining us today, and for all you do Erin. To learn more about WakeMed Children's Hospital and Child Life Services, please visit wakemed.org. And thank you for listening. I'm Caitlin Whyte with WakeMed Voices brought to you by WakeMed Children's in Raleigh, North Carolina. Stay well.