Thanks for checking out the blog I have created for PRM 364, Foundations of Therapeutic Recreation. Please check out the "About Me" section to the right and learn a little bit about me! Attached are a few recent pics of me and my family. Thanks for visiting!
Karen, in the past few years I have seriously considered pursuing a Child Life Specialist degree as well, but decided against it because I'm not sure I would enjoy working in the hospital environment. If you don't mind sharing, what is your favorite/least favorite aspect of your job?
Congratulations! You are in your last semester and you sound as if you are filled with enthusiasm and energy for more learning. It is interesting that you mention Child Life. I am working with the School of Family and Social Dynamics to develop a Child Life Certificate. We will be using the four TR courses as a component of the certificate. TR and Child LIfe are very similar professions. We recently had a student graduate with a degree in TR and a minor in Family Development. She completed a dual internship and is now dual certified. I'd love to talk to you about your plans.
Your family must be so proud of your accomplishments.
Excellent job getting your husband to wear a D-backs shirt! I work for them, so we always appreciate the exposure. Good luck getting through this last semester and out there in the field.
Thanks so much for your comments! I have known I wanted to be a Child Life Specialist since I was a little girl involved in a very serious car accident with my family. I was hospitalized for awhile but my sister was very badly injured and was at Phoenix Children's for months recovering from many operations trying to repair damage done internally from the accident. I got to see Child Life Specialists work closely with her and was amazed at the impact they had on her emotional and mental well-being. They even helped me cope with it and I was just the visiting sibling. Fifteen years later, she is a Pediatrician working at Phoenix Children's and I am working there in the field of Child Life! And to top it off, I was hired by the very Child Life Specialist that worked with my sister!
I am not a Specialist yet, but work very closely with them. I would have to say the part I like least is obvious, the sadness we see. This week I lost two patients I was very close with to cancer, one was eight and one was only two years old. I see a lot of abuse, and that is also hard to deal with. But on the whole, I absolutely love my job and the job of the Specialists. I get to be the "fun" one in the hospital, I don't have to hurt them with needles or make them take medicine they don't like! I bring the toys and games and fun stuff! Specialists help them understand what is happening and are there for them emotionally. My favorite part of my job now is seeing the kids' faces light up, even if it is only briefly, when they walk into the playroom or I bring them an activity or we host an event. Their hospital stay just plain sucks and I try to bring some fun into it! It is an amazing field and if you want to learn more you should definitely check out their website at childlife.org.
As for the certification program, I heard that was being developed and that is so cool that you mention it and are a part of it! I will definitely be doing that if and when it gets going, as there is no specific Child Life Degree here in Arizona, and being a mom, I cannot just pick up and move to where they offer it! I would love to hear more about it!
I also looked into therapeutic recreation as a major. I work closely with a Child Life Specialist at Phoenix Children's who is also a Therapeutic Recreationalist, her name is Anica. She is who I am planning to interview when the time comes for that assignment!
Hi there! Welcome to my blog. My name is Karen and I am a 25 year old working mother of twins! I have been married for five years, my children are three years old (almost four) and are my pride and joy. I love being a mom! I have one boy and one girl and their names are Jake and Eisley. They are simply the smartest and cutest kids on the planet so pardon my near constant bragging. ;)
I work as a Child Life Assistant at Phoenix Children's Hospital and I absolutely love the field I work in. My job right now consists of running the playrooms for patients and families, planning the crafts, special activities, and making sure that all the patients have toys, activities, and things to do so they don't go completely bonkers in their hospital room!
I am in my last semester at ASU and am very excited to graduate! My goal is to continue on with my Master's degree to become a Child Life Specialist, which is an amazing job that I get to see every day. To learn more about the field of Child Life, visit the Child Life Council's website at childlife.org.
Thanks for taking the time to explore my blog and thank you for any comments you may leave!
Karen, your children are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks Benjamin!
ReplyDeleteWhat cute kids! Twins are just amazing. I spent 2 years in Florida taking care of twins and loved every minute of it. Good luck this semester!
ReplyDeleteKaren, in the past few years I have seriously considered pursuing a Child Life Specialist degree as well, but decided against it because I'm not sure I would enjoy working in the hospital environment. If you don't mind sharing, what is your favorite/least favorite aspect of your job?
ReplyDeleteA Child Life Specialist sounds very interesting. I would like to know more about it. Is it something that you knew you always wanted to do?
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! You are in your last semester and you sound as if you are filled with enthusiasm and energy for more learning. It is interesting that you mention Child Life. I am working with the School of Family and Social Dynamics to develop a Child Life Certificate. We will be using the four TR courses as a component of the certificate. TR and Child LIfe are very similar professions. We recently had a student graduate with a degree in TR and a minor in Family Development. She completed a dual internship and is now dual certified. I'd love to talk to you about your plans.
ReplyDeleteYour family must be so proud of your accomplishments.
Excellent job getting your husband to wear a D-backs shirt! I work for them, so we always appreciate the exposure. Good luck getting through this last semester and out there in the field.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comments! I have known I wanted to be a Child Life Specialist since I was a little girl involved in a very serious car accident with my family. I was hospitalized for awhile but my sister was very badly injured and was at Phoenix Children's for months recovering from many operations trying to repair damage done internally from the accident. I got to see Child Life Specialists work closely with her and was amazed at the impact they had on her emotional and mental well-being. They even helped me cope with it and I was just the visiting sibling. Fifteen years later, she is a Pediatrician working at Phoenix Children's and I am working there in the field of Child Life! And to top it off, I was hired by the very Child Life Specialist that worked with my sister!
ReplyDeleteI am not a Specialist yet, but work very closely with them. I would have to say the part I like least is obvious, the sadness we see. This week I lost two patients I was very close with to cancer, one was eight and one was only two years old. I see a lot of abuse, and that is also hard to deal with. But on the whole, I absolutely love my job and the job of the Specialists. I get to be the "fun" one in the hospital, I don't have to hurt them with needles or make them take medicine they don't like! I bring the toys and games and fun stuff! Specialists help them understand what is happening and are there for them emotionally. My favorite part of my job now is seeing the kids' faces light up, even if it is only briefly, when they walk into the playroom or I bring them an activity or we host an event. Their hospital stay just plain sucks and I try to bring some fun into it! It is an amazing field and if you want to learn more you should definitely check out their website at childlife.org.
As for the certification program, I heard that was being developed and that is so cool that you mention it and are a part of it! I will definitely be doing that if and when it gets going, as there is no specific Child Life Degree here in Arizona, and being a mom, I cannot just pick up and move to where they offer it! I would love to hear more about it!
I also looked into therapeutic recreation as a major. I work closely with a Child Life Specialist at Phoenix Children's who is also a Therapeutic Recreationalist, her name is Anica. She is who I am planning to interview when the time comes for that assignment!