Editor's Note: Every March is Child Life Month, which is a wonderful spotlight for awareness on the field of Child Life. As part of our celebration, More Than Medicine will "spotlight" child life specialists from various areas of Le Bonheur Children's. Today's post takes a look at our some of the others that make Child Life Services run, our school teachers, child life assistants, and leadership.

By Jamie Droke
Child Life Specialist

In honor of National Child Life Month (March), we are continuing to explore the many different areas of the hospital our department covers. For the last three weeks, you have read about the child life specialists who cover in inpatient, outpatient, and critical care areas, but there are a few members of our team that we have not yet covered. These three groups are extremely important to our department and the way it operates. These groups are our hospital school teachers, our child life assistants, and our leadership team.

At Le Bonheur, we have two school teachers who are available to meet the educational needs of our patients and families. When a child is admitted, these two teachers communicate with the school that the child attends, speaks with teachers, counselors, and anyone else involved to determine what work needs to be done while the child is in the hospital. Once this work is received, teachers are available to help patients with their assignments so they do not fall behind while they are here. In addition, these teachers hold daily classroom sessions in our two classrooms for any patients who are able to attend.

Child Life Assistants work in all areas of the hospital focusing on normalization activities for patients and their family members. These assistants help organize our special events such as monthly parties, arts and craft events, and performances from various community groups. They also staff our daily creative arts and teen room sessions so that patients and their families can get out of their room and participate in something fun. These assistants also work with volunteers to provide additional opportunities for our patients and families.

Our leadership team is composed of our director, Thomas Hobson, and our two managers, Lauren McCann and Jenny Shelton (you have likely read blog posts by all three of these fabulous leaders). From maintaining the daily schedule to developing the vision of the Child Life program, the leadership team is responsible for the overall success of the department. The team also works with the leadership of other departments throughout Le Bonheur to ensure Child Life meets the needs of all patients, families, and staff.

As you have read over the past four weeks, the child life department influences nearly every area of Le Bonheur. We might have our different roles or areas of expertise, but we all work together to accomplish one common goal: to meet the needs of patients and their families during their stay at Le Bonheur.