Gwen Evans: play specialist at Sligo General Hospital, works to make children's experience of hospital less daunting and more fun
I start my day at 8.30 a.m. by checking that all the toys and play equipment are clean and safe. Then, I see what patients are on the wards and find out their details. I also check what day cases are coming in. Once I have this information, I take things from there.
Throughout the day, I work with children of all ages from babies to 15- and 16-year-olds. Children are in hospital for a variety of reasons in the short term - some have tonsillitis, some have to have their appendix out. Others have had an accident.
There are also children with chronic illness such as diabetes or cystic fibrosis who return to hospital on a more regular basis and children with special needs who are admitted with chest infections or other problems.
I enjoy forming relationships with the children who find themselves often in hospital. For them, it's nice to have somebody they know will be there when they come in.
My job involving providing activities for the children to do in the playroom and working one-to-one with those who can't get out of bed. The aim is to make their time in hospital less daunting and the environment more familiar. The use of play helps them cope with the experience. In turn, it also helps their parents cope as they are often quite stressed about their child being unwell and also as they try to juggle work and other family responsibilities.
If a child is having blood tests, an X-ray or any other scan, I explain to him/her what is going to happen in language appropriate to their age. Another aspect of my job is to distract a child when he/she is having an invasive procedure carried out. So, I'll use toys, books or other gadgets to distract the child away from what is being done.
We never pretend that something is not going to hurt but we do say that they don't have to watch. This helps the child cope better and the doctor and nurses get the job done more easily. I also work with physiotherapists and speech and language therapists as play can help children comply with their treatment programmes.
I keep records of what children have been in and what I did with them, in case they are back in again. Unfortunately, I can't plan activities because I rarely know in advance who I will have on a certain day.
I am one of about 12 play specialists working in hospitals in the Republic. I was the first play specialist appointed to Sligo General Hospital when I got the job four years ago.
Often we see children who are quite upset when they are coming into hospital. But, now my experience is that they are often quite upset when they are going home because they found out hospital wasn't such a bad place after all.