Does your course cover anything to do with Hospital Play??

Everyone,

I'm really interested, are you currently studing on a course relating to children, NVQ, Foundation Degree, Degree, playwork, CCLD, Pre-school Practice, any course in this area really!!

Does your course cover anything to do with sick children & children in hospital? Dose it cover anything about hospital play and play specialists and refering children to a play specialist?

I'm a play specialist and I trained to be a nursery nurse before that, which was a little while ago. I'd love to know if anything about this is included in your course. I would be so interested to hear.

Thanks

hattyhar

[cabin]

I did a cache L3 a few(6+) years ago SEN, that included hospital play.

Founation degree no... unless, I suppose- you had the opportunity to link it to an assignment, but we would have been expected to research it for ourselves.


xx

Thanks so much for your reply

Thats really interesting. Sorry to ask so many questions.
In your L3 was hospital play covered just as a possible career option or was the impact of long term illness and/or hospitalisation covered?

With your foundation degree, do you know if hospital play is not covered because there is no unit or module on sick children or do you choose optional modules or areas of interest such as this?
Do you have any module that covers therapeutic play?

The impact of hospitalization on children is huge I thought that this may possibly be covered in a lecture, children with long term healthcare issues often find it really hard to be understood in education and play settings.

Thanks that is really interesting.

hattyhar

[cabin]

L3 - this covered the impact of hospitalization etc, not as a career option - although this would been interesting.

Foundation degree - tricky one to answer! I think all uni's offer different, for us we had no units on sick children, or SEN directly... although you could link it into area's- for example 'Working with other Proffessionals'
I know when I was looking up uni's I found the scheme of work for East London - in which you had 'core unit's' then picked a set number of optionals - don't quote me- but I think there may have been one in there that covered this area.
xxx

Thanks so much for your clear reply.

It just worries me that still so few people seem to know what play specialists do and the whole range of places we provide therapeutic play services.

With your Foundation Degree unit 'Working with other Professionals' did you have any lectures linked with this subject? Or maybe, did you have some suggestions about various the professionals that you could link with, which you could write about in your assignment?

It is just that still very few childcare/playwork professionals seem to even consider liaising with or refering to a play specialist if something has come up to do with issues regarding hospital or illness. Which is such a shame as children spend so much time with childcare/playwork professionals, that they are the ones who a child is likely to speak to, about issues.

The problem that I'm aware of is, if you only cover this area if you choose to research it for an assignment, this would not happen if you didn't already know about the profession and that you could liaise with or refer to them.

Thanks it is really so interesting to know other peoples point of view.

hattyhar

[cabin]

The thing with the FD is that much of the work is 'reflective' therefore if you have never had the need to work with certain professions, then you possibly will not end up researching them into much depth... our word count was so low- 2,500 that you had to keep it tight. We really only 'glossed' over other people we might work with, yes we named them, considered barriers we might encounter etc, but that as far is it went really.

If I'm honest most of my limited knowledge comes from working with a hospital playworker- she came to our full daycare but only stayed a very short while as she said the difference was so great - she felt she wasn't able to give her best and went back to hospital work.
The FD is very reflective - and on reflection, a guest speaker from your profession would have been interesting!

xxx

Thanks

I can see that if a course is mostly "reflective" the best way to provide an insight into this area, is to have a visit from a qualified and practicing play specialist, who could then give a talk on the role and answer any questions any of the students may have.

Would you feel happy to recomend to others students undertaking a Foundation Degree, to ask their tutor/lecturer to invite a play specialist to come and give a talk on the professon?

If you undertook another course would you ask for a talk from a qualified play specialist to be included?

Has anyone else undertaken or currently undertaking a course that has had a talk from a qualified play specialist? Did you find it interesting and useful?

Thanks it is great to hear other peoples views

hattyhar

Hi Hattyhar,

I am 3 weeks into my NVQ level 2 CCLD and found this extremely useful site (thank you, Silkysteps!). Your subject caught my eye because I am considering working towards a career as a play specialist in a hospital or hospice.

I am totally new to this area, having worked in software for 13 years. But, after being made redundant during maternity leave I found myself unable to get back into the industry part-time - and if I am honest, not wanting to return to computers!

My toddler is now approaching 2 and I was lucky enough to discover a local CACHE course which I will use as the first step into an exciting new career woking with children (having my own has opened my eyes!!)

I have no real reason for responding - just to say Hi and that I am interested in the subject you raised.

I think I will probably get a term-time job initially and work through the necessary qualifications. I am a little concerned that I will spend a few years working towards a career where positions are 'like gold-dust' (I would have a choice of just 2 local surrey hospitals and one hospice)

Unfortunately, owing to the fact that my father recently passed away and spent 6 weeks in a hospice, I am not allowed to to do any voluntary work within a childrens hospice until 2 years have passed. (This is totally understandable as I have to deal with my own bereavement first)


Anyway - enough waffling! It's great to find someone with connections to this particular area of the industry.

Best regards

Just wondering.... I have a few placement afternoons to arrange for my NVQ L2. Do you think I would be allowed to shadow a hospital play-worker for 2 hours one afternoon or is this not encouraged? It would be great to get an idea of the reality of it. The hospital I have in mind is Frimley Park in Surrey, any ideas who I should contact to get the best response?

Many thanks