91快活林

Going into an unfamiliar place and interacting with unfamiliar people can be a scary experience for any young child 鈥� even though it is a necessary part of early visits to the doctor. To help children in the community become more accustomed to a medical checkup in a delightfully engaging way, 91快活林 [91快活林] coordinates a Teddy Bear Clinic every year.

This year鈥檚 Teddy Bear Clinic, held on Tuesday, March 26th, brought approximately 50 children into the college to participate in the event. Every child received a teddy bear that became both their newest companion and their charge as they walked it around the Medical Assisting lab to receive a series of common tests from Medical Assisting students.
鈥淭he children are the caregiver of their bear and have the opportunity to become familiar with the medical equipment and setting,鈥� explains Cindy Moholland, Medical Assisting Program Director.

Along with enabling the children to become more familiar with doctors and the kinds of treatment they can expect when they themselves need a checkup, the 91快活林 Teddy Bear Clinic gives Medical Assisting students time with the youngest of their future patients. 鈥淭he Medical Assisting students gain experience in communicating with children in a healthcare setting,鈥� Moholland elaborates.

In tandem with the experiences gained by the Medical Assisting students, students from the Early Childhood Education [ECE] program provided additional activities for the children and their parents to participate in throughout the event. 鈥淚t is a valuable hands-on experience for ECE students,鈥� said Linda Levesque, ECE Instructor. 鈥淭heir responsibility was to plan and lead age-appropriate activities that would engage the children while they waited to go to the clinic in small groups.鈥�

鈥淭he Teddy Bear Clinic has become an annual event that the community looks forward to each year,鈥� Moholland summarized. 鈥淚t is an exciting day on campus and a great opportunity for the Early Childhood Education and Medical Assisting Programs to collaborate.鈥�

Liz Pollock, whose son, Brennen, turned 3 a few days before the clinic, describes the experience as very enjoyable for her child. While she wasn鈥檛 able to participate in the clinic with him, he had a lot to share when she picked him up. 鈥淗e was all smiles,鈥� Pollock said. 鈥淗e told me about 鈥榯he doctors鈥� and the teddy bear was brave; he didn鈥檛 cry.鈥�

In addition to the clinic being fun, Pollock appreciates its practical value, too. 鈥淎s a parent, I love that he鈥檚 getting these experiences 鈥� especially as Brennen has a fear of going to the doctor. Hopefully this will be a good point of reference for him next time he needs to see his doc!鈥�