Patients at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa Reverse Roles with Caregivers and Become "Doctors for a Day"

The hospital's Child Life Specialists organize the annual event in an effort to help children understand and cope emotionally with the medical experience.

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St. Joseph's Children's Hospital

Mar 14, 2018, 06:31 ET

TAMPA, Fla., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On March 14, 2018, doctors and nurses at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital handed over their white coats and stethoscopes to a group of very special caregivers – hospitalized kids.

Dr. Mark Mogul, medical director of pediatric hematology/oncology at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa, gets a checkup from 11-year-old D’lany Harrigan during the hospital’s annual “Doctors for a Day” event March 14, 2018.

Eleven-year-old D’lany Harrigan and 8-year-old Callie Fowler, patients at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa, switch roles with Tara Scopa, RN, and Seth Larson, ARNP, during the hospital’s annual “Doctors for a Day” March 14, 2018.

Becoming "Doctors for a Day," pediatric patients switched roles with their caregivers and treated pretend illnesses and broken bones. Their patients (doctors and nurses) received treatment on gurneys positioned in the hospital's lobby, which became a waiting room and clinical area for the afternoon. The young doctors even had the opportunity to give 'shots' with needle-less syringes.

By allowing patients to play the part of the doctor, they may be less anxious about the procedures that will be performed on them at the hospital.

"Doctors for a Day helps to empower our patients and provide a sense of control as they get to be the medical provider," said St. Joseph's Children's Hospital Child Life Supervisor Hadley Trull. "Often, choices and control are taken away during an inpatient or outpatient experience and allowing children to play through difficult situations can be more than powerful."

Child Life Specialists at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital coordinate the annual "Doctors for a Day" activity to celebrate national Child Life Month. Child Life Specialists use play, education and self-expression to help pediatric patients adjust to the hospital experience.

From interactive story time to psychological preparation for surgery, and from holiday crafts to play with a special medical procedures doll, the Child Life team helps patients view their illnesses and hospital stay as secondary to enjoying the thrills of a normal childhood.

To see photos from the "Doctors for a Day" event, visit St. Joseph's Children's Hospital's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/stjosephschildrens.

About St. Joseph's Children's Hospital
As Tampa's only dedicated children's hospital, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital is committed to providing everything needed for the health and well-being of children. Part of the BayCare Health System, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital provides more acute medical and surgical pediatric care than all other hospitals in Hillsborough County. From the tiniest baby to the high school quarterback, patients are cared for by doctors who specialize in treating children, in surroundings designed exclusively for kids.

About BayCare Health System
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 15 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit www.baycare.org.

SOURCE St. Joseph's Children's Hospital