Compassionate Care during Wellness Visits
Due to their developmental stages and previous experiences, children may have different reactions to seeing a medical professional. These may not always be positive and can cause challenges for healthcare providers. Developing a therapeutic relationship by techniques such as developmentally appropriate communication can lead to easier interactions, and promote the child’s understanding of medical visits.
Course Overview
To many adults, a routine wellness visit can seem straightforward, however, for children, it can be incredibly frightening and overstimulating. Parents can also feel this heightened anxiety as their children ask questions about what will occur at the appointment and if they will be receiving a needle. Medical providers can be the liaison, building a quick rapport with compassionate care through a child-centred approach. The purpose of this webinar is to empower healthcare providers with the knowledge that will enrich their practice by ensuring that children and their families are made to feel comfortable and understood at wellness visits.
Learning Outcomes
In this session, you will:
- Increase your knowledge of effective communication skills with patients and parents
- Learn how to establish a warm and inviting space
- Implement a medical preparation plan, and
- Explore coping and distraction techniques for pediatric patients of all ages and developments
Course Content
Details
CPD
First Published
Updated
Expires
D
1 hour
Oct 2018
Oct 2018
Dec 2020
Also found in
Usage & Integrity
Educator
Shani Thornton, MS, CCLS works in private practice in the Placer County and Sacramento region of California. She provides in-home child life services to families and leads workshops in the community.
She launched a child life and parenting blog/website in 2013, called ChildLifeMommy.com to provide resources to parents, child life specialists and medical providers.
Shani is an adjunct faculty member for the Graduate Child Life Program at Bank Street College of Education. She is the social media and marketing manager for Standish Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on family-centered healthcare practices.
Shani has written a children’s preparation book for a wellness visit, ‘It’s Time For Your Checkup: What to Expect When Going to a Doctor Visit’, made available in paperback or digital format on Amazon.
She is also the private practice chair member for the Association for Child Life Professionals Community-Based Non-Traditional Role Committee.
