Walking through Children’s Hospital, you see staff and volunteers with patients enjoying themselves as they paint, color, play games, have story time or play with toy medical kits. To someone just passing by, this might look like “just play,” but it is much more than that. The Child Life Department at Children's Hospital is responsible for coordinating these opportunities for patients to play and express themselves as a way of helping children cope with their hospitalization. The staff of the department is focused on doing what is most "therapeutically appropriate" for the child. In other words, it may be play, but it has a very important purpose.

Interacting, playing, doing crafts or talking are all ways the Child Life staff members interact with patients to create a diversion from the challenges of a hospitalization. The staff also distracts children during difficult procedures, such as the placement of an IV line. By interacting with the child, the Child Life staff educates the patient, helping prepare him or her for the upcoming procedure, explaining how and why it will be done and what to expect.

Play also helps the Child Life staff to learn and understand what fears the child has so they can focus on those issues and try to reassure the child. The tools used during these interactions appear to the patient to be just everyday toys -- bubbles, paper and crayons, oil and water toys, for example. By assessing the child through play, the Child Life specialist can gain insight into ways to help the child cope with the hospital experience.

Child Life staff and volunteers are assigned to various areas of the hospital: the Second Third and Fourth Floor Inpatient medical units, the Outpatient Clinics and the Emergency Department. They are also on-call to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and other areas in the hospital. The staff is available at almost any time during a patient's waking hours, with staff in as early as 8:30 a.m. and as late as 11 p.m. seven days a week -- and even on holidays.

Hello, my name is Madison, and I am 8 years old. I am at Children’s Hospital today for a visit to the outpatient rheumatology clinic. I am here for a regular check up, and I am feeling a little nervous about getting my blood drawn. I know that the doctors have to have my blood to make sure that I am doing all right, but I still do not like needles.

The nurse knows I am feeling uncomfortable, so she calls for someone to come and talk to me, sit with me and help me forget I have to get those tests done today. My nurse soon returns with a Child Life Specialist; her name is Amanda, and she talks to me about why I am here today. She is learning all about me and what is bothering me about having to be in the hospital. She talks to me and tries to make me feel better about having blood taken.

When it is time to get my blood drawn, I begin to get nervous again. The phlebotomist, whose name is Lindsay, is really nice, but I keep looking at the needle that will have to go into my finger to get my blood. Amanda starts talking to me about my family and my pets. When I start talking about my dogs, Lindsay takes my blood. Being distracted by my conversation with Amanda really helps. I feel Lindsay taking my blood, but it doesn’t bother me too much. I’m not scared because I know that Amanda is there with me.

After my blood has been drawn, I have some time to wait before I get to see the doctor. Amanda comes back with craft supplies so we can make a picture frame. She brings a foam square and hearts, and we work on it together so that I can take it home with me when I leave. She holds the frame while I glue on all the hearts. I think this will make a great present for my mom.

I am really thankful that I had someone there with me to take my mind off of being at the hospital. Having Amanda with me really helped pass the time there, too. With so much to do and so many people to talk to when I have to go to the clinic, it really makes me feel much more comfortable to know that the Child Life staff is always ready and willing to help me when I’m in the hospital.