Competency Five:
The ability to provide teaching, specific to the population served, including psychological preparation for potentially stressful experiences, with infants, children, youth, and families.
I completed this Developmental Assessment during my clinical practicum while working the pediatric orthopedic unit. In this assessment, I discuss how I used medical play as an opportunity to teach the patient about his surgery, while also familiarizing him with an anesthesia mask, matching Competency Five. Additionally, I prepared him for halo surgery by showing pictures of children who had halos giving him the opportunity to ask any questions. At the end of the assessment I suggested a few interventions the patient could benefit from such as medical play with an IV catheter, and engaging in play with another patient who already has had a halo surgery to further familiarize and teach the patient about his upcoming procedure. Lastly, my third professional goal was met because I utilized medial play and child-friendly language, something I look forward to doing more in my everyday interactions with patients.
For this assignment our class was asked to create a visual support tool that could be used to educate a child on an upcoming medical procedure. The tool I created is a set of flashcards explaining and preparing children for MRIs. I made this tool for children in the 6-7 age range, and it can be used for any treatment plan where an MRI is needed. Especially, if the diagnosis is one where MRIs are frequently used during treatment. My goal with the flashcards is to familiarize and prepare children for MRIs by providing an honest and direct explanation, working to eliminate any worries or fears a child may have. Furthermore, the flashcards align with Competency Five because I am teaching to a specific population while preparing the patient for the potentially stressful experience of an MRI. In the future, similar interactions can be used to support research on the benefits of procedural preparation minimizing the use of sedatives meeting my third research goal.