I love teenage patients!
Don't know what it is, but we just click. Dr. Fun E. Bone is a kidder, good-naturedly kidding patients about procedures, relationships, what they're doing, and why I'm there. Something about this gentle but irreverent fool of a clown doctor lets them know it's OK to let down their guard, trust, and open themselves up to a little playfulness. And I'm always amazed at how quickly it happens.
When I check in at the nurses' station in PEDS or the ED, I usually get a rundown of rooms I should visit, non-contact precautions, and special situations. At the end of that conversation is when they'll add, "And then there's Room XYZ with a teenage girl," usually delivered with dramatically cautionary tones befitting a first-time substitute teacher about to walk into a ninth grade math classroom.
My response? "Ha ha! Yes!! Right in my wheelhouse."
Teens face many challenges when they require hospitalization, not unlike what other hospital patients experience. Central is the loss of control they experience in almost all areas of their lives. At a time when they're trying so hard to learn how to exert control, this is not a welcome feeling!
This loss of control can leave teens with feelings of anxiety, powerlessness, and loss of independence. Younger children are used to accepting the decisions of parents and professionals. Not so with teens, for whom it's normal to question because they want control over their own lives. Ya gotta love and respect that!
During hospitalization, teens may lose the ability to decide basic aspects of their day, privacy at the time in their lives when self-consciousness is peaking, and in some circumstances, control over bodily functions. This loss of control is troubling to many teens -- wouldn't it be for you? -- so it's important that Dr. Fowlbreath and I always treat them with understanding, support, and respect. And choices!
That's a lot of background for Dr. Fun E. Bone's experience on clown doctor rounds this week. Three of the first four patients I saw in PEDS this week were teenagers. Ha ha! Yes!!
I usually send in Dr. Fowlbreath first to scout out the situation, see who's in the room, and do a funny bone assessment. Then we turn it over to the Chief of Stupidity, me.
After introductions and a little chit-chat, card tricks are a nice playful way of connecting because the patients can make choices and they get a parent or visitor involved in the by-play.
In one of the rooms, it was obvious that mom hadn't slept very well, so we gently pulled her in as a helper. Her son had a basic idea how I did the first trick, so I broke out a fresh deck and performed and then taught him how to do a second one, swearing him to Penn & Teller-like magician secrecy. With sound effects -- POW!
Drew his blood, then gave him something to make him feel funny -- a red nose sticker stuck to his IV bag. He, and his mom, were wide awake and into the whole play thing by the time I left. She said, "That was fun! Thanks for visiting." He nodded approvingly.
Another successful red nose transplant.
Don't know what it is, but we just click. Dr. Fun E. Bone is a kidder, good-naturedly kidding patients about procedures, relationships, what they're doing, and why I'm there. Something about this gentle but irreverent fool of a clown doctor lets them know it's OK to let down their guard, trust, and open themselves up to a little playfulness. And I'm always amazed at how quickly it happens.
When I check in at the nurses' station in PEDS or the ED, I usually get a rundown of rooms I should visit, non-contact precautions, and special situations. At the end of that conversation is when they'll add, "And then there's Room XYZ with a teenage girl," usually delivered with dramatically cautionary tones befitting a first-time substitute teacher about to walk into a ninth grade math classroom.
My response? "Ha ha! Yes!! Right in my wheelhouse."
Teens face many challenges when they require hospitalization, not unlike what other hospital patients experience. Central is the loss of control they experience in almost all areas of their lives. At a time when they're trying so hard to learn how to exert control, this is not a welcome feeling!
This loss of control can leave teens with feelings of anxiety, powerlessness, and loss of independence. Younger children are used to accepting the decisions of parents and professionals. Not so with teens, for whom it's normal to question because they want control over their own lives. Ya gotta love and respect that!
During hospitalization, teens may lose the ability to decide basic aspects of their day, privacy at the time in their lives when self-consciousness is peaking, and in some circumstances, control over bodily functions. This loss of control is troubling to many teens -- wouldn't it be for you? -- so it's important that Dr. Fowlbreath and I always treat them with understanding, support, and respect. And choices!
That's a lot of background for Dr. Fun E. Bone's experience on clown doctor rounds this week. Three of the first four patients I saw in PEDS this week were teenagers. Ha ha! Yes!!
I usually send in Dr. Fowlbreath first to scout out the situation, see who's in the room, and do a funny bone assessment. Then we turn it over to the Chief of Stupidity, me.
After introductions and a little chit-chat, card tricks are a nice playful way of connecting because the patients can make choices and they get a parent or visitor involved in the by-play.
In one of the rooms, it was obvious that mom hadn't slept very well, so we gently pulled her in as a helper. Her son had a basic idea how I did the first trick, so I broke out a fresh deck and performed and then taught him how to do a second one, swearing him to Penn & Teller-like magician secrecy. With sound effects -- POW!
Drew his blood, then gave him something to make him feel funny -- a red nose sticker stuck to his IV bag. He, and his mom, were wide awake and into the whole play thing by the time I left. She said, "That was fun! Thanks for visiting." He nodded approvingly.
Another successful red nose transplant.
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