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PodcastBeyond Medicine: How UPMC's Child Life Team Transforms Young Patients' Journeys
Every child's medical journey is more than a series of tests and treatments. It's a story of courage, and of professionals who see beyond the diagnosis. In honor of Child Life Month, we celebrate the stories that unfold because of three women who comprise the UPMC in Central Pa. Child Life team - Sandy, Liz, and Tara - whose daily work transforms children's clinical experiences.
The Child Life Team isn't just a department. Each day, they step into a world where children face medical challenges that would overwhelm most adults, armed with compassion, creativity, and an extraordinary capacity to see beyond the procedure.
Sandy arrives at the hospital, the MRI Simulator waiting - provided by the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation and Dunkin' Joy In Childhood Foundation. Today, she'll transform fear into curiosity for children facing medical scans.
In the Pre-Op area, Liz unpacks a Medikin doll, an invaluable tool funded by the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation. With gentle hands, she introduces a young patient to the Playkin IV adapter. Together, they practice a medical procedure, the child's confidence growing with each careful touch. What was once scary becomes a moment of understanding, of control.
Tara creates comprehensive action care plans for child patients, crafting a detailed blueprint of each child's unique world. An FYI flag follows the child across every UPMC touchpoint. Whether a child is sensitive to loud noises, needs extra processing time, or is experiencing sensory challenges, each patient is seen and understood.
Later, Liz visits patients in the vibrantly wrapped rooms of the UPMC of Central Pa Pediatric Specialists in Lemoyne, where clinical spaces were transformed by the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation from sterile environments into places of wonder and calm.
A quiet moment finds Sandy using the Vecta Mobile Sensory Station. Fiber optic lights dance, aromatherapy runs, and for one child, the overwhelming world reduces to something manageable, something fun. A referral comes from Labor & Delivery - a family navigating fear and uncertainty. Tara steps forward, walking alongside a patient's young siblings in their most vulnerable moment.
As the day winds down, Sandy, Liz, and Tara know they've made a difference. They are honored to create these moments of care, supporting their unwavering belief in a child's resilience.
“Coping spans from walking into the hospital for the first time, being in here for an extended period of time, or an end of life situation. So part of our job is to support kids and families in those difficult moments.”