Alas, I still haven't called the woman at Connecticut Children's Medical Center yet. I really need to do that, yet I am nervous because I don't know how to prepare. I want a practicum or internship, but I feel I need to be as prepared as possible when I call, rather page this woman because I don't want to "over tell" in response to a simple question because I am nervous. Make sense?
Cohen Children's in NY is offering a summer practicum. I just need to read over my essay, make sure it fits their needs and their word limit of approximately 300. I also need a copy of the recommendation letter my supervisor at CHB wrote for me with her signature across the flap.
I just left another voicemail for Boston Medical Center asking if they are offering a summer practicum or internship. Hopefully they will call me back soon since they are the only hospital in Boston that will accept independent students.
I am working on the practicum application for Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, in NH. CHaD requires three recommendation letters for practicum students (really uncommon). I have my two from CHB, and I decided my third should come from one of my Psychology professors at Simmons College. I sent him two emails and it appears Simmons is having an issue with their email system since the second came back telling me my message might take days to go through. If I don't hear a response from him via email soon, I may have to leave a voicemail. Hopefully my email didn't end up in spam since my address no longer ends in @simmons.edu. CHaD also requires a CPR Certification which I will obtain on February 19th through an Adult, Child and Infant CPR class given through the Red Cross.
Finally, yesterday I registered for the Child Life Council's 29th Annual Conference on Professional Issues in Chicago, May 25th-29th. I booked my room last week and now all I need is my flight.
Showing posts with label child life council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label child life council. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Progress in the land of Child Life
Turns out, the one application I got out in mid-December to Connecticut Children's Medical Center, is the one I received a call from last week! The director called me asking for more information, didn't specify what exactly, but it clearly necessitated a phone call. This is good news since it wasn't the, "Thank you for your interest, but..." phone call. I know I should have called her ASAP, but I didn't want to be caught off guard by anything and choke.
I emailed Cohen Children's in NY yesterday asking if they were planning on having a practicum this summer. I need to make sure I have my duckies in a row and not apply to places that may not be offering a program. I will call Boston Medical Center after posting this to see if they are offering a summer internship. I am working on the practicum application for Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, in NH. (The key difference between practicums and internships is one is full-time. While it would be great if I got a summer internship, my lease doesn't end until August 31st. So getting an internship in Philadelphia is out of the question, but a practicum is not.) CHaD requires three recommendation letters (at least for the internship) hopefully just two for the practicum. They also require a CPR Certification which I will obtain on February 19th through an Adult, Child and Infant CPR class given through the Red Cross.
Finally, I just booked my room for the Child Life Council's 29th Annual Conference on Professional Issues in Chicago, May 25th-29th. This will be my third CLC conference. My first was in Boston shortly after I graduated from college in 2009. I haven't been to Chicago, but I've heard it's windy there and they have two baseball teams, one good, the other, not so much.
I emailed Cohen Children's in NY yesterday asking if they were planning on having a practicum this summer. I need to make sure I have my duckies in a row and not apply to places that may not be offering a program. I will call Boston Medical Center after posting this to see if they are offering a summer internship. I am working on the practicum application for Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, in NH. (The key difference between practicums and internships is one is full-time. While it would be great if I got a summer internship, my lease doesn't end until August 31st. So getting an internship in Philadelphia is out of the question, but a practicum is not.) CHaD requires three recommendation letters (at least for the internship) hopefully just two for the practicum. They also require a CPR Certification which I will obtain on February 19th through an Adult, Child and Infant CPR class given through the Red Cross.
Finally, I just booked my room for the Child Life Council's 29th Annual Conference on Professional Issues in Chicago, May 25th-29th. This will be my third CLC conference. My first was in Boston shortly after I graduated from college in 2009. I haven't been to Chicago, but I've heard it's windy there and they have two baseball teams, one good, the other, not so much.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Playing with Time...Child Life
Needless to say, things have been a bit crazy and I have fallen desperately behind on my all too important Child Life internship/practicum applications. I wrote my essay, Child Life Philosophy on 9/4 and the "draft" was "magnificent" according to the seasoned CCLS who offered to read it for me. I am reading it over again not only to remember what I wrote over a month ago, but also so I can strengthen what I have, if possible.
In other Child Life news, the Child Life Council recently published their Directory of Child Life Programs online to facilitate the search of practicums and internships. This is a BIG DEAL because until last week, all of us had to go by what was written in a book published in 2006, which meant a lot of out-dated information.
Through this god send, I learned that Boston Medical Center has a Child Life practicum/internship. I called the "acting" Child Life director and she told me one of their CLSs will get back to me regarding their program and its requirements! I also sent an email to Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center (NY).
I still haven't had improvement since my Baclofen dose was increased on the 6th. My doctor at Spaulding said he could come and adjust it if needed while I am in PT (his office and outpatient therapy are on the same floor), but I haven't heard from him since an email almost two weeks ago. Wednesday is 10/20 which is the one month anniversary of my surgery. The next day, simple things such as sitting up and standing were incredibly painful since I had one incision in my back and another in my belly. This was incredibly discouraging, because while I knew where the incisions would be, I was not prepared for the intense level of pain I would feel.
In other Child Life news, the Child Life Council recently published their Directory of Child Life Programs online to facilitate the search of practicums and internships. This is a BIG DEAL because until last week, all of us had to go by what was written in a book published in 2006, which meant a lot of out-dated information.
Through this god send, I learned that Boston Medical Center has a Child Life practicum/internship. I called the "acting" Child Life director and she told me one of their CLSs will get back to me regarding their program and its requirements! I also sent an email to Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center (NY).
I still haven't had improvement since my Baclofen dose was increased on the 6th. My doctor at Spaulding said he could come and adjust it if needed while I am in PT (his office and outpatient therapy are on the same floor), but I haven't heard from him since an email almost two weeks ago. Wednesday is 10/20 which is the one month anniversary of my surgery. The next day, simple things such as sitting up and standing were incredibly painful since I had one incision in my back and another in my belly. This was incredibly discouraging, because while I knew where the incisions would be, I was not prepared for the intense level of pain I would feel.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Arizona, an Appointment and Child Life
Sorry for the delay, it has been a crazy past few days.
At last update I was getting ready for my trip to Arizona for the annual Child Life Conference. As I registered for the event, I saw that there was still room on tour of Phoenix Children's Hospital and I registered. As I prepared to get off the bus, I slipped, skipped three steps and smacked my head on the sidewalk. I felt a bit off after I hit, but was able to get up, walk to the nearest bathroom and survey the damage. I got a big hit to a forehead and another to my chin. I took 3 Motrin right there in the bathroom because I knew I was in for a MAJOR headache. I forget who, but someone there suggested I visit the ER just to be sure that everything was OK. I gave in, but knew in my heart it was the right thing to do.
Long story short, about an hour after getting settled in the ER, I started feeling sleepy and "out of it". I also vomited clots a couple times. I got an IV for Morphine, Zofran and fluids. They also put me on the monitor so everyone would know if I fainted or something. I don't remember much about the head CT except for shouting, "My head hurts, my head hurts" repeatedly. The child life specialist who accompanied me to the ER stayed with me until 6pm when another came to my side. I was surprised and relieved that a CLS stayed with me for so long even after my mom arrived ~3 hours post fall.
I was admitted to the PICU for the night. I had normal saline and D10 flowing through my veins. (I told them I had Mito at triage and told them I would need D10 after I vomited the third time, and they believed me!! I was so relieved. They also called my neuro/mito doc's office and spoke with my MD's fellow!! What a concept! Way to go Phoenix Children's.
I was feeling much better the following day and was discharged around noon. Thankfully, I was able to attend most of the conference the following day and one of the event coordinators registered me as a student member of the Child Life Council which enables me to use a lot of their exclusive member only features on their website, which is a BIG PLUS for getting all the guidance and support I need from the council.
****
On Monday, I saw one on my doctors at MossRehab in Philly. I have had severe spasticity in my left foot and toes since my second stoke in 2001. I have tried three oral meds, Botox A and B as well as acupuncture, but none of these has provided adequate relief and so we are exploring the option of a baclofen pump which essentially delivers a liquid form of the oral med through a pacemaker sized pump in my belly or low back. Oral (tablet) Baclofen works OK, but not very well with my spasticity. Before going ahead and surgically implanting the pump, I need to get a test dose to figure out if this entire idea is even an option for me.
I will be admitted for pre-test dose festivities ;) on July 12 and go into the OR for the actual administration of the test dose on July 13. On the 14th, the test dose will work it's way out of my body and I will be back to baseline by the 15th. Depending on how the Baclofen test dose makes me feel, I may or may not decide to progress to the next step which is neurosurgery, yes neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to implant the device.
****
If you recall from my last post, I was going to meet with the Director of Child Life today from St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. The meeting went alright, but I did not gain anything from the experience apart from meeting another Child Life Specialist. What was echoed perhaps silently during the meeting with her was that my next step will be to apply to practicums. I am not sure how many I will apply to but I'm guessing between 5 and 10. I also feel it is important to visit the hospital I am interested in so I can attach a mental image to the institution. I will have a better idea of how many practicums I will apply to once I return to Boston and look through The Directory of Child Life Programs published by the CLC. Unfortunately ther is no uniform curriculum for practicums/internships set by the council. Each hospital has their own program.
***
Every summer I set a goal for myself to read 10 books from start to finish. My first book is The Female Brain.
At last update I was getting ready for my trip to Arizona for the annual Child Life Conference. As I registered for the event, I saw that there was still room on tour of Phoenix Children's Hospital and I registered. As I prepared to get off the bus, I slipped, skipped three steps and smacked my head on the sidewalk. I felt a bit off after I hit, but was able to get up, walk to the nearest bathroom and survey the damage. I got a big hit to a forehead and another to my chin. I took 3 Motrin right there in the bathroom because I knew I was in for a MAJOR headache. I forget who, but someone there suggested I visit the ER just to be sure that everything was OK. I gave in, but knew in my heart it was the right thing to do.
Long story short, about an hour after getting settled in the ER, I started feeling sleepy and "out of it". I also vomited clots a couple times. I got an IV for Morphine, Zofran and fluids. They also put me on the monitor so everyone would know if I fainted or something. I don't remember much about the head CT except for shouting, "My head hurts, my head hurts" repeatedly. The child life specialist who accompanied me to the ER stayed with me until 6pm when another came to my side. I was surprised and relieved that a CLS stayed with me for so long even after my mom arrived ~3 hours post fall.
I was admitted to the PICU for the night. I had normal saline and D10 flowing through my veins. (I told them I had Mito at triage and told them I would need D10 after I vomited the third time, and they believed me!! I was so relieved. They also called my neuro/mito doc's office and spoke with my MD's fellow!! What a concept! Way to go Phoenix Children's.
I was feeling much better the following day and was discharged around noon. Thankfully, I was able to attend most of the conference the following day and one of the event coordinators registered me as a student member of the Child Life Council which enables me to use a lot of their exclusive member only features on their website, which is a BIG PLUS for getting all the guidance and support I need from the council.
****
On Monday, I saw one on my doctors at MossRehab in Philly. I have had severe spasticity in my left foot and toes since my second stoke in 2001. I have tried three oral meds, Botox A and B as well as acupuncture, but none of these has provided adequate relief and so we are exploring the option of a baclofen pump which essentially delivers a liquid form of the oral med through a pacemaker sized pump in my belly or low back. Oral (tablet) Baclofen works OK, but not very well with my spasticity. Before going ahead and surgically implanting the pump, I need to get a test dose to figure out if this entire idea is even an option for me.
I will be admitted for pre-test dose festivities ;) on July 12 and go into the OR for the actual administration of the test dose on July 13. On the 14th, the test dose will work it's way out of my body and I will be back to baseline by the 15th. Depending on how the Baclofen test dose makes me feel, I may or may not decide to progress to the next step which is neurosurgery, yes neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to implant the device.
****
If you recall from my last post, I was going to meet with the Director of Child Life today from St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. The meeting went alright, but I did not gain anything from the experience apart from meeting another Child Life Specialist. What was echoed perhaps silently during the meeting with her was that my next step will be to apply to practicums. I am not sure how many I will apply to but I'm guessing between 5 and 10. I also feel it is important to visit the hospital I am interested in so I can attach a mental image to the institution. I will have a better idea of how many practicums I will apply to once I return to Boston and look through The Directory of Child Life Programs published by the CLC. Unfortunately ther is no uniform curriculum for practicums/internships set by the council. Each hospital has their own program.
***
Every summer I set a goal for myself to read 10 books from start to finish. My first book is The Female Brain.
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