An Endangered Species? Inclusive Perspectives from Three Men Working as Hospital Play Specialists - (2025)

This webinar examines the benefits, challenges, and opportunities of being a man in the Hospital Play Specialist (HPS) profession, featuring insights from three male HPS clinicians. Presenters will discuss how gender influences professional identity and share findings from recent research on men in HPS and related fields of child well-being.
Suggested Domain: DEI
Credits: 1.5 PDU
Learning Objective(s):
1. Explore how a professional identifying as ‘Male’ can influence the clinical lens and professional identity.
2. Upskill on recent research related to gender in care-based clinical health roles
3. Gain insight into the unique challenges faced by men in the profession through the lived experiences of three male practitioners.

Please note: All webinar content and its certificate will expire on July 3, 2028, regardless of when it is purchased, accessed, or completed. At that point, contents will no longer be available in any form, including as an archive or as a PDU certificate. It is the responsibility of the learner to complete the contents and download and save the certificate for their records prior to July 3, 2028.

Morgan J. Thomas

ECE Lead Hospital Play Specialist

Starship Children's Hospital

Kia ora, my name is Morgan Thomas [HPS reg., MHlthLd, PGDipSpchSci, GDipTchgECE]. I am the Early Childhood Education Lead for the Hospital Play Specialist Service at Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. After many years of teaching early years, I have been working in the Hospital setting since 2018. I'm also a doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland, currently researching our service’s archive of sociocultural assessments.

Ben Vete

Senior Registered Hospital Play Specialist

Starship Children's Hospital

Mālō ‘e lelei. My name is Ben Vete, [HPS.reg., BEd]. I am a Senior Hospital Play Specialist based in Auckland NZ. I started this role in 2016 and now work between two hospitals, the Surgical ward and the Ophthalmology ward. I have a passion for educating and helping families succeed in hospitals and a drive to foster inclusive environments that respect cultural diversity. 

Elroy Pinto

Senior Hospital Play Specialist

Starship Children's Hospital

Kia Ora, My name is Elroy [HPS reg., GDipTchg], and I am a Senior Hospital Play Specialist based in Auckland, New Zealand. My journey as a hospital play specialist began at Starship Children’s Hospital, where I spent three years working in the cardiology ward. I then transitioned to the oncology/hematology service at Starship, where I currently work. I love working with children and young people and I truly believe laughter is the best medicine.  

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An Endangered Species? Inclusive Perspectives from Three Men Working as Hospital Play Specialists
Select the "View On-Demand Recording" button to begin.  |  90 minutes
Select the "View On-Demand Recording" button to begin.  |  90 minutes This webinar examines the benefits, challenges, and opportunities of being a man in the Hospital Play Specialist (HPS) profession, featuring insights from three male HPS clinicians. Presenters will discuss how gender shapes professional identity and share findings from recent research on men in HPS and related child well-being fields.
Survey
8 Questions
Quiz
5 Questions  |  Unlimited attempts  |  4/5 points to pass
5 Questions  |  Unlimited attempts  |  4/5 points to pass
Certificate
1.50 DEI credits  |  Certificate available
1.50 DEI credits  |  Certificate available