Doctors Become Patients and Kids Become Doctors at Role Reversal Event

Inside , on the floor which houses , there is one room where no medical procedures are allowed to take place, nurses don't take vitals, medication cannot be administered.

And yet it manages to be a place of healing, accomplished through therapeutic play. The Child Life Playroom is an oasis of fun and learning in what can otherwise be a scary, scary place for kids who are sick or injured. And it was where the kids had the chance to play doctor – with their own physicians playing the part of the patient – last Wednesday in a role reversal play session organized by the Child Life Program.

"It gives them a sense of control. The tables are turned and they're able to see a different perspective," said Michael Attard, one of the hospital's five certified child life specialists. "Our job as child life specialists is to help kids understand why they are here, and we use play as a modality to teach about medical experiences, such as surgery, new diabetes diagnosis, or their first trip to the hospital."

Ethan Chang, 7, of Kings Park, has been a patient at Stony Brook a few times. He used actual medical equipment to check his patients' vitals and even used an alcohol pad to clean one person's arm before giving her a (pretend) shot, telling her it wouldn't hurt much. He diagnosed headaches, tummy aches, a fever and a bloody nose. Nearby, other hospital staff members and residents waited their turn to get treatment for their make-believe ailments as a sign that read "The Doctor is in" advised of a ten-minute wait time.

Ethan's mother, Ann-Marie Chang, said it was "absolutely a positive experience" for him.

"This was actually the motivation to get him up walking," she said. "Seeing the same people who knew him by name was definitely encouraging, and there were other kids here that he got to meet and spend time with."

Nine-year-old Gianna Hawkins, of Wyandanch, was recovering at Stony Brook from injuries she suffered during a car accident. Her mom, Tyanne Hubbs, watched as child life specialist Caitlin Boyle helped Gianna put on a surgical isolation gown that was so long it had to be tied in places so she didn't trip over it.

"She loved it," Hubbs said. "It's really what is making her comfortable here."

Before she left the playroom for a visit with her grandparents, Gianna complimented Boyle's long hair and asked to see her hospital badge.

Boyle, a 2004 alumna of Ward Melville High School and a graduate of Stony Brook's Masters program, called her job fulfilling.

"A lot of people, when I tell them what I do, dwell on the fact that it's hard and it's sad at times," she said, "but it's very rewarding when you can help a patient and their family."

March is national Child Life Month, recognizing the role that child life specialists play in children's care at hospitals across the nation. Stony Brook's own Child Life Program was established in 1989 as a one-person operation, and has since grown to employ five specialists with about 50 volunteers in the mix. Its specialists work with other hospital departments to make the environment and experience as comfortable and friendly for children as possible. They create "coping plans" specific to each child and help them take an active role in their own care and recovery.

Educating the patients and their families – as well as their caretakers at Stony Brook – is a big part of the job.

"We're educating the people in the hospital, too," child life specialist Paulette Walter said. "It's really important what you say to kids and how you say it. They remember everything."