Child Life Internship Interview Prep.

What healthcare can do to help: Adolescents

- Explain you are not going to do things for them that they can do for themselves and why you are taking that approach - Respect privacy by accepting a teen's decision not to talk - Help teens find space and time for themselves ■ Accept a teen's freedom to express their views--even if you disagree with them ■ Help teenagers explore the sources of their attitudes and the consequences of them ■ Help teens develop their own healthcare goals ■ Remember that teens are more capable of responsible behavior than they are sometimes given credit for

Common Hospital Issues: Newborn/Infants

- Reflexes provide opportunities to interact with the environment & learn - Recognizes mother's voice, attaches to caregivers (parents). Develops trust when needs are met. ▪ Communicates thru crying, babbling, imitating sounds ▪ Develops stranger anxiety around 7-8 months

Bowlby's attachment theory

Children are born with the predisposition to form attachments with others—helps them survive Pre-attachment: infants do not discriminate one person from another Attachment in the making: Infants prefer a particular person but do not protest when separated Clear cut attachment: Separation anxiety from primary caregiver Goal-corrected partnership: understand caregiver's schedule—less separation anxiety Attachment figures act as a secure base for exploring the world which is crucial during the early months and years of life

Vygotsky

Children learn and develop cognitively through social interaction -they first observe in a social situation with others, then apply it to themselves internally Furthermore, Vygotsky proposed that a child's potential for cognitive development depends on the zone of proximal development (this is attained when children engage in social behavior—they need adults to guide them in skill building and peers to collaborate with

What healthcare can do to help: Preschool

Encourage expressive play ▪ Preparation, medical play ▪ Support family presence - clarifying misconceptions

What healthcare can do to help: Toddlers

Encourage parental presence ▪ Offer choices to support independence ▪ Establish a 'safe zone' for procedures (e.g. using an exam room instead of patient's bed) ▪ Preparation, medical play

What healthcare can do to help: School Age

Healthcare workers should take great care using sarcasm or avoid sarcasm all together with this age group

questions to ask

On a daily basis, do interns focus more on the clinical or play side of child life? What does a typical day for an intern consist of? What does intern orientation consist of? I felt that I learned quite a bit from my projects as a practicum student (nightly journals, case study, mock in-service, playroom design project). What kind of projects and presentations are included in the internship curriculum? How do child life specialists at UCSF Benioff collaborate and function as part of the interdisciplinary team? The child life page on UCSF Benioff's website states that interns complete two full rotations and end the internship a in pediatric prepare program. What does this week consist of?

What healthcare can do to help: Infants

Respond quickly to crying or irritation-can be soothed with gentle touch/sound ▪ Interact face-to-face when baby is alert and seems ready for interaction ▪ Encourage family rooming in, break rooms, kangaroo care ▪ Maintain baby's normal eating, feeding, sleeping routine as much as possible ▪ Limit number of hospital workers in room ▪ Provide appropriate sensory experiences ▪ Make it easy for family to participate in baby's care

Harlow's Monkeys

Infant monkeys reared in isolation had much poorer outcomes than infant monkeys reared with surrogate mothers. Some died, behaved strangely, and had difficulty interacting with other monkeys even as adults—found that sensitive responding and security from the caregiver promotes success Children with healthy/secure attachments are less likely to experience anxiety, depression, difficulty in social relationship

Common Hospital Issues: Adolescence

■ Loss of independence ■ Threatened identity / privacy ■ Altered body image / Worry about scars ■ Peers may be overwhelmed and withdraw ■ Restrictions may limit peer interaction ■ Concerns about bodily functions are heightened by continual surveillance and documentation ■ Limited opportunity for release of physical energy ■ Fears about loss of control and ability to eventually become independent from parents (e.g. Can I live on my own with these changes?) ■ Anxieties about future events (e.g. Will I be able to attract a partner? Will my body function properly to experience normal physical intimacy?)

Common Hospital Issues: School Age

■ Tendency to be concerned about rules and pleasing authority figures, responses based on what he/she thinks adults want to hear ■ May under-report pain and symptoms ■ May show regressive behaviors, restlessness, boredom, aggression

Common Hospital Issues: Toddlers

▪ Developing autonomy and is generally very curious; wants to explore ▪ Can understand more than he/she speaks-concrete explanations are best ▪ Egocentrism

Common Hospital Issues: Preschool

▪ Magical thinking, imaginative ▪ Egocentrism ▪ Literal interpretation of words ▪ Lack understanding of body integrity