This lecture discusses how to approach children in a hospital setting, how to reduce fears for both children and caregivers and how to prepare everyone for many clinical situations that commonly occur in the Emergency Department. This course is beneficial for both new and experienced pediatric nurses. Strategies on how to reduce pain, provide comfort, and create a therapeutic approach to children of every developmental stage are discussed. This is an interactive course that can be given either in-person or virtual. It is designed to provide participants with practice and confidence to apply Child Life Tips and Tricks they can take to their clinical setting.

Objectives:

• Explore the philosophy of “One Voice”
•  Anticipate fears based on pediatric age groups and nursing approaches to accommodate for these stages.
• Identify how medical language can be misinterpreted and create clear age-appropriate explanations
• Be able to identify family and patient positioning techniques to promote comfort
• Provide examples of what to place in a Child Life Toolbox to promote curiosity, education, exploration, and distractions.