Menu
You work in the new Children’s Department on the second floor of Hull Royal Infirmary and your shift starts at 7.30am. Your first task of the day will be to set the playroom up with toys and activities for any child well enough to visit the playroom. You know it has to be inviting to help children feel comfortable in their surroundings.
Children may be anxious if it is their first time in hospital. You use play to encourage them to join in with the activities, using that time to find out what they know about hospitals and why they are there. Some children undergo painful and invasive procedures which they may find hard to cope with so you can use play to help them understand.
You will organise activities for babies, children or teenagers who have to stay in their own room. During the day, you meet nurses, doctors, dietitians and physiotherapists who may want to discuss the treatment and care of patients and how your play activities have been incorporated into the care plan. You will write down the observations that you made of your patients as they played and talked as well as planning tomorrow’s activities before finishing your shift.
You communicate well with children and young people, have a great imagination and can see the world from a child’s point of view. You’re also comfortable communicating with adults and can explain things clearly in person and in writing. You’re patient, understanding and non-judgemental.
You will need five GCSEs at grade 4 (C) and above especially in maths and English, to demonstrate literacy and numeracy. After leaving school, you should apply for A-Level 3 childcare course at a further/higher education institution in order to gain experience of working with children.
Instead of A-Levels, you will usually need a minimum of A-Level 3 qualification in childcare and relevant work experience in order to get onto the foundation degree in Healthcare Play Specialism. This degree is only offered at a small number of colleges in the UK, and you must check with each college on their entry requirements.
We'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to talk to us about apprenticeships and traineeships, email hyp-tr.apprentices@nhs.net
Welcome to Med Shed.
An interactive resource to help you find your career with us in the local NHS.
There’s a lot to see and lots to explore so come back and visit us regularly…