Author’s Note:  The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of Sidra Medical and Research Center.

by Thomas Hobson
Child Life Director

As of right now, my life feels a little like a John Denver song.

All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go… Cause I’m leavin’ on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again.  Oh babe, I hate to go…

So, if you haven’t already figured it out, today is my last day in Doha, Qatar.  I have been with Sidra Medical and Research Center for the past two weeks, and now my time in the office is coming to a close.  However, this really marks the beginning of my work with Sidra.

The purpose of my trip to Doha was to be oriented to Sidra’s project and development.  Similarly to building the new Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Sidra has been working on the creation of the hospital for several years.  My time here was quickly filled learning the new project, and like I said in my first post, thank goodness I have spent a lot of time reading construction plans.

In order to build a child life program that will meet the needs of Sidra’s patients the process cannot be rushed.  I wouldn’t be doing my role correctly if I just came in and said, “Here’s how many staff, here’s where they should be, and here’s a job description.”  Of course, these are elements of building a program, but there is much more.

(Forgive me as I get “technical”.)  It is important to understand the policies, practices, and workflows.  It is important to understand the building design and how that will impact interactions.  There are many different services and sub-specialties that will be provided, and child life interacts with each one differently.

My goal for my work with Le Bonheur Children’s is to build a comprehensive child life program that serves as a national (or perhaps international now) model, which meets the needs of the patient and families treated at the hospital.  I have the same goal for my work with Sidra. 

If the program will be the first child life program in the Middle East, I want to make sure that I have helped Sidra to build the best program possible.  The reason why is simple, and it is something that all pediatric facilities share.  We want the absolute best for our patients and families we are serving.

They deserve it.