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Hi, my name is Hector. I am going to tell you about my trip to Children's Hospital. If you get really sick, you might have to visit Children's Hospital. I hope this helps you prepare for what to expect.
It looked like a neat place. There were many different colors and a big mobile hanging from the ceiling as I walked in the front door. We rode an elevator to the first floor where Mom signed me in, and then we waited a few minutes in the lobby. Then a nice man, Joe, came out of a room and asked my mom, dad and me to come to his desk. At Joe's desk, he asked Mom and Dad a lot of questions. He also asked Mom to put her name on some papers. The nice lady from the Information
Desk took us down the hall and we all got on a big elevator that took us
to the Second Floor, and she showed us to my room in the Goodfriend Tower. It had a bed, a televeision, a sleeping couch and recliner for my parents and a full bathroom, as well as internet access and a
television. After Mom put my stuff away, the nurse's helper called a patient
care assistant came
into my room and introduced himself. His name was Ryan. He gave me a gown to
put on, and I changed into it. He asked Mom a lot of questions, and then he weighed
me, took my temperature and checked my blood pressure. A little while later, the doctor and a nurse named Julie stopped by my room and explained to us that the fastest way for me to feel better was to get my medicine through an IV. Nurse Julie came back soon and pushed me in a wheelchair to a treatment room. Mom got to go with me. Kristin, a Child Life Specialist, was also in the room. Nurse Julie explained to me that an IV is a tiny tube put into my vein. The tiny tube is connected to a bag with medicine in it. The medicine goes through a small tube and into the one in my arm, which then goes into my veins and throughout my body. Kristin showed me a stuffed animal that had an IV just like the one I got. When Nurse Julie began cleaning my hand, Kristin let me play with a glitter wand, then I got to blow bubbles. I felt a pinch when Nurse Julie slid the tube into my hand. She put a clear piece of tape on top of the tube to hold it in place until it was time to take it out. Nurse Julie said that the hard part was over. All I needed to do was to go to my room and get some rest. I went back to my room and watched a movie on TV. Of course, I fell asleep very quickly. Mom said while I was asleep, some nice people came by to visit her. A social worker came by to see if we needed any type of help. Then the hospital's chaplain stopped by. She said Mom and Dad could even pray with her if they wanted to. Later that afternoon, a Child Life volunteer knocked on my door and asked if I felt like playing a game or doing an art activity. We played Candyland, my favorite, and made a picture for Mom and Dad. She also explained to me that if I felt better I could go to the play room at the end of the hall, and I might be able to play Nintendo in my room, too. The nurse's helper, Ryan, came by to measure my temperature and blood pressure again and make sure I was OK. He told me that someone else would be coming in to check on me every few hours for the rest of the night, but then I would see him again tomorrow morning. After he left, I fell asleep again. Throughout the night, another nurse's helper checked on me to make sure I was doing OK. A nurse also came in and changed my medicine. This did not bother me, because she was very quiet, and I was very sleepy. 
The second day at the hospital, I felt much better. Ryan came back in the room to check on me first thing. He measured my temperature and blood pressure again. I asked for something to drink, and this time he said I could have a Sprite. He told me that a food specialist would come up later and help me choose a healthy lunch from a menu. Ryan explained to me that a cafeteria worker brings all of the patients' lunches up on a big cart from the cafeteria. I rested most of the day, and I challenged another Child Life volunteer to a game of Candyland. I won! My doctor came by late in the afternoon and said I would be able to go home that night. Mom and Dad were very happy that I was getting well and that I was going home soon. I was happy to get to go home, but I knew that I would miss all of the nice people I had met at the hospital. Nurse Julie came to visit me one last time. She came by to take the IV out of my hand. After the tape was off, the bad part was over. Mom and Dad put my things in my bag, and Ryan came in the room with a wheelchair. He pushed me into the hallway, and we waited for the elevator. Dad went to get the car, and Ryan helped Mom and me out front. We all thanked Ryan, and we said goodbye. Being sick isn't fun, but at least there's a place like Children's Hospital to make you feel better.  |
This fictional story depicts a typical scenario of a child admitted to an inpatient floor at East Tennessee Children's Hospital. It is intended only to give parents and children a brief overview of what to expect when a child is admitted as an inpatient. This scenario will vary depending on your child's health and specific reason for admission. For more information, contact the Children's Hospital Community Relations Department at (865) 541-8165 or 
Last week I had to stay home from school. I was feeling very bad. Mom said I had to go see my doctor. We did, and he told us I needed to stay a few days in the hospital, at least until I felt better. Staying overnight at the hospital would help me to feel better faster, he said. At the hospital, I would be able to get special medicines, and the doctor could check to see how I felt. Mom and Dad packed my pajamas, my favorite pillow and my favorite stuffed animal, and we went to the hospital.
When he finished working on his computer, I got a bracelet with my name on it. Joe told the volunteer at the Information Desk that I needed to be taken to my room.
I
asked him if I could have something to drink; he told me that my doctor said
I could only have ice, but as soon as I got to feeling better, I could have
something else. He also told me that if I needed anything, I could call the
nurse by pushing a button. There are nurses at the hospital who stay awake
all night, even when I am asleep. 
After all of the fun I had with the volunteer, I felt very sleepy. It was time for me to take another nap.
