The impact of Covid-19 is being heavily felt by all in the child life community right now and its continued threat looms large in the back of our minds. Due to these impacts, there have been many questions raised by professionals and students alike centered on the clinical and educational requirements. The Captivated By Child Life blog has received many questions and requests for advice during this time. From this, a few trends have been noticed, namely some misunderstandings as to what organization/group is in charge of what changes/requirements. So, lets break it down... who is really in charge here?
The Who: There are a couple of key players at stake here.
The ACLP: governing organization that sets competency standards and regulates requirements to meet those standards
Child life programs: the individual programs within healthcare systems
Hospitals: the standing organization of healthcare in which child life programs operate
Child life professionals: the people who are working in the profession and have passed educational and clinical requirements
Students: those who are working towards becoming professionals
The infographic attached to this post provides some explanation as to who is in charge of what decisions, in regards to the child life profession and education of students. This is a frustrating time for all parties involved, but it is important to keep in perspective the scope of control that each stakeholder has. Some stakeholders can influence others, but none have complete control over, or can mandate changes to the others. It is a system that functions much like a venn diagram; with overlap while still maintaining individual autonomy.
For students: Child life professionals can't imagine the strain that this has put you under. Your path to this career field has been undoubtedly changed and that is incredibly hard. You are experiencing grief from the loss of your expected future. However, please keep in mind that those same professionals are also facing uncertainty in their work place too. Some hospitals have suspended or cut child life staffing meaning those same people you are begging to give you answers about internships, practicums, and the like don't even know if they will have a job in the near future.
For professionals: These are unprecedented times with much up in the air as to what the future within the hospital setting looks like. Coming together as a child life community to support each other is of the utmost importance during such a time. Use your empathetic listening skills to hear out the struggles of your peers and students. We need a community of listeners and a community of open arms. Once our healthcare systems learn to adapt to these current changes you will be able to get to work and advocate for planning for the future.
-K
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