Worn out.

Wow, so, interviews are hard work! ...and I'm betting that scheduling two, back-to-back, adds to the challenge--or it did for me, anyway! I'm always so tired and worn out from talking for so long, that I just want to close my mouth and type for the rest of eternity. (Okay, maybe not.)

Alrighty, here goes it...

My first interview of the day was at 3 p.m. CST with St. Luke's Children's Hospital in Boise, ID. The questions were harder (for me) than the ones from ACH on Tuesday, but I somehow feel really good about the interview. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I'd visited the hospital in October, and talked about how I really liked the area and was especially looking forward to the new experience, including the opportunity to see snow for the first time. :-p We also talked about dates and things like that; they asked if I'd be willing to work through Thanksgiving in order to finish the program before graduation. (Of course, I said yes--hello, I've been looking forward to living in Boise for nearly a year!) So, if I go to Idaho, the program would start September 8th and run right up until graduation, I think. That just means everyone will have to plan for a snowy weekend visit to the Owyhee Mountains during Thanksgiving break!

Here are the questions:

• Describe the needs, interventions for hospitalized children at each age/stage.
• What qualities can you offer to the program?
• What is your philosophy for working with children?
• Discuss your interest in Child Life.
• What will be your biggest challenge in a Child Life Internship?
• If a doctor walks in while you're working with a child and asks, "What's Child Life, and why are allowing a child to play with medical equipment," what would you say?
• How would you explain to a patient's family about the Child Life Program and what it has to offer?
• Describe an instance when you had to discipline a child; what was the negative behavior, how did you handle it, and what was the outcome?
• What are your long term goals?
• Say a 5-year old has a fear of receiving an IV, what would you do? How would you prepare him for the procedure?
• What are your expectations of an internship supervisor?
• What are your goals for a Child Life Internship?
• Discuss a time (at school, etc.) when your needs were not met; how did you handle it?

The interview lasted 40 minutes, which meant that when I was finished, I only had 20 minutes to prepare for my second interview. Gah. I rested my voice, browsed the next site's website, and read over my application during this time.
At 4 p.m. CST, I began my interview with Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi, TX. The main reason I even applied to this hospital was because I was looking for two more sites (the other ended up being Methodist Children's in San Antonio, TX) and Momma really wanted me to find something closer to home. Unfortunately, I think this (small) attitude shined through the interview process. I was also very tired of talking and thinking from my previous interview, so my brain pretty much shut down. Another issue with the interview was that the questions were once again harder than my previous experiences, this time, more theory based than before. I wouldn't say that I failed horribly, but I don't think I did very well. They did, however, say that they're willing to work with students' school schedules, so if I do get in there, I won't have to worry about conflicts with graduation.
And of course, the questions:

• Discuss the theorist you are most familiar with, including the aspects of their theory.
• What do you anticipate as the biggest challenge of a Child Life Internship?
• Why our hospital?
• Say a 10 year old comes in with a fractured leg, he's anxious/scared, and scheduled for surgery in a few hours--what do you do?
• Describe your experience with other Child Life Programs.
• Describe your experience working with children.
• Why do you want a Child Life Internship?
• What do you expect to gain from a CL Internship?
• What skills do you possess for succeeding in a CL Internship?
• What can you assess throgh observing a child at play?
• Should we offer you an internship with our program, do you have adequate transportation and lodging to complete the program?

Umm...I hope that's all! It's kind of hard to remember all the questions, especially with the interviews so close together. If i remember more, I'll add them later...
Oh, both sites said I should hear something before the June 22nd deadline, so that's encouraging. In fact, Boise said they hope to notify me within the next two weeks! Woot woot! Now, let's just hope it doesn't mean that I'll have to accept or decline Boise's offer before receiving any others...but who knows, I may not even get in, and it won't be an issue at all. *Don't get ahead of yourself, Lauren!* We will just have to wait and see!!
Ta-ta for now!
Lauren
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Interview summary, to date:

• Arkansas Children's Hospital (5-13) - Done.
• St. Luke's Children's Hospital (5-15) - Done.
• Driscoll Children's Hospital (5-15) - Done.
• Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children in Falls Church, VA (5-20 @ 10 a.m.)

(Haven't heard anything new from the other 5 hospitals...)