March 05, 2003 - 7:44 p.m.

Little Steps

I took the day off from the gym (letting my body recover from yesterday's full weight circuit - the first time in months I have done that) and stayed home this morning after getting the kids off to school. I took the opportunity to finally call the volunteer department at the local hospital. This is a pretty major accomplishment, but understanding why will necessitates giving some background.

For a couple of years, I have been vaguely considering pursuing a career as a Child Life Specialist. Child Life Specialists have a variety of duties but basically they help kids cope with being in the hospital (or other health care center like dialysis clinics and such) in any way they can. A CLS may use dolls or stuffed animals to help a child understand a medical procedure she is about to undergo. They also help plan recreational acitvities and parties for patients. They often serve as advocates and mediators for children and families to doctors and administrators. At any rate, it sounds like a job that I would find both challenging and rewarding - provided I could deal with the stress of seeing children afraid and in pain. There is a graduate program in this field in Boston, so I researched the program. It turns out that even to apply one has to volunteer at least 100 hours under the supervision of a certified Child Life Specialist.

The volunteer requirement actually makes a great deal of sense. There isn't much point in admitting a person to the program who hasn't seen what the job really entails. I imagine few people could really be good at the job and enjoy it, possibly including myself. You would never know what a day had in store for you, from kids getting chemo to victims of car accidents. That said, I can't imagine a more rewarding task than to help a child in a completely abnormal situation feel as normal as possible and just be a kid.

So, I've had the number for the volunteer department at the hospital for quite some time. I guess I have just been afraid to use it. Sounds ridiculous, huh? It's not as though I would be signing my soul away. But I had a few reservations about volunteering that were holding me back. First of all, I plan to volunteer a couple of mornings a week while the kids are in school, however, when the kids don't have school or are sick, my job has to take precedence over volunteering and I don't know whether that could be a problem. In addition, I was worried about explaining my need to volunteer with a CLS, since I suspect that the volunteer department usally handles candystripers and the like and may not be able to accomodate my very specific request. Most of all, though I am worried about the actual volunteering. If I don't like it, then I am back at square one as to choosing a career path. Then, if I DO like it, I have to figure out the graduate school thing - where? when? how to pay?

But finally, today, I shelved the doubts and called. It was painless. I just set up an appointment to meet with the director of volunteers on Monday. I think I will be much more comfortable explaining my interests in person, so that's good. Now I just hope that they have a Child Life Specialist!

today's project: fort building with couch cushions

musing about: what to cook for friends on Friday

�

flutter back - fly ahead