Last week we packed up and headed to the 2017 Association for Child Life Professionals conference. We joined thousands of pediatric healthcare professionals from around the globe including nurses, doctors, administrators, educators, students and child life specialists to continue our quest for improving healthcare for children and families. We brought along some of our tried and true medical teaching and blank cloth dolls to pass onto global and small in-country programs and hospitals who have limited resources (see photos!)
The sessions nearest and dearest to our mission at Standish circled around the topic of managing children’s procedural pain, fear and anxiety. Although an uphill battle still lies ahead, it is so exciting to collaborate with other professionals who feel as passionately as we do about reducing pediatric pain. It was truly a magical, educational and inspirational weekend for attendees and vendors alike. Thank you to the Association of Child Life Professionals, keynote speakers, those who prepared and taught sessions, and to the volunteers and leaders foraging the way in this dynamic field.
