A New Take on Diagnostic Education for a Chronic Population in an Outpatient Clinic

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When a child is diagnosed with a chronic illness at birth, their development can be impacted. These children are often exposed to many medical experiences at a young age, before they are capable of understanding them. To ensure children with chronic illnesses receive diagnostic education during critical periods, a scaffolded education model can be used to target this population during outpatient visits. SUGGESTED DOMAIN: Intervention

Objectives:
Discuss chronic illness and the impact on development.
Explore different theories regarding how children gain understanding of their illness at different ages and stages.
Explore a scaffolded education model currently implemented in an outpatient sickle cell clinic setting.

Katherine Bailey

CCLS

Katherine Bailey, MS, CCLS, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma, where she majored in Sociology and minored in Religious Studies. After researching the field of child life, she pursued further education at the Erikson Institute in Chicago, where she completed her Master of Science degree in Child Development. Katherine joined the child life team at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital after graduate school and provided services to patients in Infectious Diseases and Hematology. She currently provides services to patients in the outpatient Hematology clinic as well as serves on the leadership team within the child life program. Katherine has spent ten years providing education and support to patients with sickle cell disease and was a member of the committee that implemented a scaffolded education approach for school age patients with the disease.

Rachel Lynn Schmelzer

CCLS

Rachel Schmelzer earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee in 2014. She continued her education at the University of Missouri, where she completed her Masters of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies in 2016. Rachel has worked as a child life specialist since August 2016, and joined the Child Life program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in May 2017. She currently works with pre-teens and adolescents on the inpatient leukemia and hematology unit and has previous experience in an outpatient clinic setting.