Hello again everyone,
Well it's ten days and counting until I start my practicum a children's medical center and with each day I become more and more excited; and a little bit more nervous. For those of you who have no idea what i'm talking about let me catch you up. This summer I had applied to and was accepted into the Child Life Practicum position a Children's Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. This is a highly sought after position and I was fortunate enough to get one of two positions. So this fall I will be spending every Monday and Tuesday afternoon and evening in Children's emergency room with the supervision of a child life specialist. A child life specialist is someone who primarily works in children's hospitals to help children cope and understand what is going on and why they are in the hospital in a way they can understand. Also, play is an important part of the job of a child life specialist. We can use play to educate a child about an upcoming procedure or to simply relax and normalize the child's day in a strange environment.
I recently had a phone call from my supervisor at children's and she gave me an idea of what my first day there would be like and also what to kind of expect in the ER, especially at night. This was an eye opening phone call because, although I had an idea of what my time in the ER would be like, I still was surprised by some of the things she said. Some of the key things she mentioned were that if I overwhelmed by what is happening, then I need to take some personal time to gather myself before coming back in. She also said that while at times it can be stressful, on the other end of the spectrum are times when it can be very boring and monotonous. However, I am still so excited nonetheless.
To prepare for my upcoming twelve week time in the ER at Children's I have had to complete a background check, drug screening, complete and verify my vaccine information, obtain a letter from my university stating that I do in fact go to this school, and complete a long list of small presentations online with topics ranging from code of ethics to HIPPA laws to the different types of emergencies and what to do if they occur. And after each presentation I had to take a small quiz and score 80% or higher to pass that portion. I have also had to purchase some scrub sets which are not cheap. Regardless of all of these requirements, I cannot wait to get started.
The next time I will post on my blog will be after my first week at children's. See ya'll then!
Friday, August 15, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
Practicum Makes Perfect - Recap and Review
Hello everyone!
I know that it has been three years since I have posted on my blog. When I started this thing, I was getting ready for a four month long stay in Zacapa, Guatemala which is in the South Eastern part of the country. Since it has been so long since I have updated this blog, allow me to catch you up on what has changed in my life since 2011. My internship in Guatemala was amazing, I learned so many new skills and slowly became integrated into the lives of the people that live and work at Casa de Esperanza (House of Hope). I laid concrete, taught English, and learned some Spanish. I also played tons of soccer and improved a little bit. Although I had planned, packed and paid for four months in Guatemala, I had to leave a month early due to complications with my passport. I was disappointed to have to leave early, but I was glad to be back home. Once back home, I continued my education at Collin College and began working at Kid's Club again; the after school care program through Allen ISD.
After a year of courses at Collin, I applied and was accepted to the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. I choose the major of Development and Family Studies in the hopes of becoming a Child Life specialist (This program is in the College of Education). This past spring semester I took a course about the profession of Child Life from a certified Child Life specialist. This course really inspired me to pursue my goal of become a Child Life Specialist. In order to do this, though, I had to get a practicum position in a hospital. This is essentially an internship in which I only observe, ask questions and participate in assignments that continue my education of the Child Life field. This is important for two main reasons; first of all, UNT requires students in my degree plan to have a practicum in order to graduate. Also, to obtain an internship after graduation, most hospitals require that the applicants have had a practicum. The field of child life is becoming increasingly competitive and is mostly consisting of women. In fact, most of my classes at UNT are mainly girls with about 2-4 guys on average. So when it came time to apply for a practicum position, three things came to mind; this is a very hard field to get into, most hospitals only offer a few positions, and that I would have an advantage because not many men are getting into this field and there is a demand for more male child life specialists.
So I sent my applications to four out of the five major children's hospitals in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro-plex. After a few weeks I received a call from Children's Medical Center in Dallas and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children to have an interview with members of their child life staff. Then came the day that the hospitals let the final candidates know whether or not they had been chosen. I woke up that morning with an email from Scottish Rite. My heart was pounding as I clicked on the email and then it sank as I read that I was the alternate. I had worked so hard and this was like a sucker punch to my stomach. Now, I was not completely out; I still had not heard from Children's yet. But, as the time went on, my chances seemed less and less likely. Then, I checked my phone for the hundredth time that morning, and I had a message from children's. Again, my heart raced as I listened to the voice mail, and unlike the previous time, the news is amazing. I was offered one of the two spots that Children's had! I immediately called back and accepted the offer.
Now I know this is a long story, but a lot has happened in the three years since my last post. I am restarting this blog and starting this series entitled "Practicum Makes Perfect" in order to give you guys a weekly update on what i'm learning while working with the child life staff at Children's. All that I know right now is that I will be working on Monday and Tuesday of each week from 12 noon to 8 pm. I will be working with the specialists in the Emergency Room and I am so excited to share with ya'll my upcoming adventures
I know that it has been three years since I have posted on my blog. When I started this thing, I was getting ready for a four month long stay in Zacapa, Guatemala which is in the South Eastern part of the country. Since it has been so long since I have updated this blog, allow me to catch you up on what has changed in my life since 2011. My internship in Guatemala was amazing, I learned so many new skills and slowly became integrated into the lives of the people that live and work at Casa de Esperanza (House of Hope). I laid concrete, taught English, and learned some Spanish. I also played tons of soccer and improved a little bit. Although I had planned, packed and paid for four months in Guatemala, I had to leave a month early due to complications with my passport. I was disappointed to have to leave early, but I was glad to be back home. Once back home, I continued my education at Collin College and began working at Kid's Club again; the after school care program through Allen ISD.
After a year of courses at Collin, I applied and was accepted to the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. I choose the major of Development and Family Studies in the hopes of becoming a Child Life specialist (This program is in the College of Education). This past spring semester I took a course about the profession of Child Life from a certified Child Life specialist. This course really inspired me to pursue my goal of become a Child Life Specialist. In order to do this, though, I had to get a practicum position in a hospital. This is essentially an internship in which I only observe, ask questions and participate in assignments that continue my education of the Child Life field. This is important for two main reasons; first of all, UNT requires students in my degree plan to have a practicum in order to graduate. Also, to obtain an internship after graduation, most hospitals require that the applicants have had a practicum. The field of child life is becoming increasingly competitive and is mostly consisting of women. In fact, most of my classes at UNT are mainly girls with about 2-4 guys on average. So when it came time to apply for a practicum position, three things came to mind; this is a very hard field to get into, most hospitals only offer a few positions, and that I would have an advantage because not many men are getting into this field and there is a demand for more male child life specialists.
So I sent my applications to four out of the five major children's hospitals in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro-plex. After a few weeks I received a call from Children's Medical Center in Dallas and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children to have an interview with members of their child life staff. Then came the day that the hospitals let the final candidates know whether or not they had been chosen. I woke up that morning with an email from Scottish Rite. My heart was pounding as I clicked on the email and then it sank as I read that I was the alternate. I had worked so hard and this was like a sucker punch to my stomach. Now, I was not completely out; I still had not heard from Children's yet. But, as the time went on, my chances seemed less and less likely. Then, I checked my phone for the hundredth time that morning, and I had a message from children's. Again, my heart raced as I listened to the voice mail, and unlike the previous time, the news is amazing. I was offered one of the two spots that Children's had! I immediately called back and accepted the offer.
Now I know this is a long story, but a lot has happened in the three years since my last post. I am restarting this blog and starting this series entitled "Practicum Makes Perfect" in order to give you guys a weekly update on what i'm learning while working with the child life staff at Children's. All that I know right now is that I will be working on Monday and Tuesday of each week from 12 noon to 8 pm. I will be working with the specialists in the Emergency Room and I am so excited to share with ya'll my upcoming adventures
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