On March 30, 2016, I shadowed Regan in 7B (non-oncology), which was an eventful day full of thought-provoking and noteworthy patient interactions and conversations. Through my shadowing experience and observations, I gained knowledge on the way that child life is utilized in a non-oncology unit, how fast-paced inpatient units can be, how to properly prioritize patients, on what sickle cell patients are experiencing and how a CCLS can provide support, charting techniques, and so much more. This week I was able to reflect back to my knowledge of development so that I could better relate our coursework to my practicum experiences. In this journal, I will focus on one main patient interaction and then on the in-depth conversation Regan and I had …show more content…
I had previously seen this patient with Layne on 7C. Prior to seeing the patient, Regan and I attended the morning huddle and learned that the night before the patient’s IV had fallen out and they had made four attempts to place a new IV, all which were unsuccessful. When we went to make a coping plan with the patient, he invited us in to be in the room with him and said, “Come on you guys!” The coping plan that the patient, Regan, and the nurses created included deep breathing, hand holding, some alternative refocusing, and watching the IV placements while being told what would happen next. The patient exhibits a problem-based and active coping style, as evidenced by the coping plan and that he preferred to watch as the IV was placed. The patient is considered school-age and a major developmental concern for this age group is the fear of bodily harm, furthermore an important intervention to decrease stress in school-age patients is to explain the procedure and be honest. Regan and the medical staff did a wonderful job of making the patient feel in control, being honest, explaining the procedure in appropriate terms, and adjusting to the patient’s wants and needs during the multiple IV placement attempts. Unfortunately, all four attempts at placing the IV were unsuccessful. During the procedure, the patient used deep breathing techniques, intermittently engaged in alternative focus, was expressive, and appeared to be calm until immediately prior to the needle stick which resulted in tears. Regan provided normative play opportunities for the patient following the procedure and the patient chose to make/play with Oobleck. The patient had the control to choose how much of each ingredient to use, as well as the color of the Oobleck. The patient invited both Regan and me to play with