In Brief

• The Pediatric Residency Program, in conjunction with the Wellness Center and the Pediatric nursing staff, has piloted a Child Activity Project on the Pediatric Unit at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.
• The program is modeled on national Child Life programs that provide age-appropriate play, creative arts and other activities that encourage coping and expression of feelings.
• Volunteers coordinate activities such as arts and crafts, games and reading to patients. In addition, they plan special events, decorate for holidays and maintain and clean the playroom.
• The program is designed to offer professional education to residents, while also offering additional training to peer leaders.

Patient Alex Laskoski, second from left, interacts with (left to right) resident Oye Grant, M.D., pediatric nurse Betty Ann Verity and volunteer and Wellness Center representative Michelle Dunston.

The Pediatric Residency Program, in conjunction with the Wellness Center and the Pediatric nursing staff, has piloted a Child Activity Project on the Pediatric Unit at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

The program is modeled on national Child Life programs that provide age-appropriate play, creative arts and other activities that encourage coping and expression of feelings. These programs are also designed to increase familiarity with hospital surroundings and prepare children and families for medical experiences, while also working to bridge the gap between home and hospital.

“As part of their training, our pediatric residents are asked to develop a Systems-Based Practice project that identifies a problem that impacts negatively on patient care and determine strategies to make an improvement,” says English Willlis, M.D., director of the Pediatric Residency Program at Crozer. “This group of residents identified the challenge presented to parents who can’t always stay with their child who is an inpatient on the unit, and how to help fill the child’s time in a positive way.”

In September, the Child Activity Project was launched to address this challenge. A multi-departmental project, the Pediatric residents have teamed up with six peer leaders from the Wellness Center who volunteered to spend three afternoons a week visiting with the children on the unit. Volunteers coordinate activities such as arts and crafts, games, and reading to patients. In addition, they plan special events, decorate for holidays and maintain and clean the playroom.

“The peer leaders have been trained by residents on topics surrounding child development and learning, stress and hospitalization, and the hospital environment,” says Dianne Butera, M.S.W., Crozer’s administrative director of Community Medicine Projects. “Since these students have an interest in health care and are already affiliated with the hospital, it was an easy fit to team up with them.” 

The program is designed to offer professional education to residents while also offering additional training to peer leaders. Components of professional education include introductory workshops on Child Life, a basic curriculum of child development and early education, and the psychopathology and stressors associated with acute and chronic illness. For volunteers, they have the opportunity to take advantage of weekly training on child development and basic health information, as well as the opportunity to interact and build relationships with children.

“The Child Activity Program was a great addition to the unit,” says Marge Speicher, R.N., nurse manager of the Pediatric Unit at Crozer. “It distracts our young patients, and gives them the opportunity to interact with other children. Just as important, it also gives parents a break.”

The pilot program concluded in May, but will begin again in September. Goals for the upcoming year include expanding volunteers to the Burn Treatment Center and Emergency Department. In addition, the program is collaborating with the Child Life Department at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to offer continuing education training to residents, and the Widener University Childhood Education Department to add additional volunteers.