At the Teddy Bear Clinic (CDN), we treat patients who are a bit unusual. It's a hospital dedicated exclusively to "sick" cuddly toys. Owners, aged between 4 and 7, were given the opportunity to take their companions there to be cured. The children visited the clinic's various departments, which were set out in booths (surgery, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, infirmary, radiology, blood test, consultation, ambulance, waiting room). The aim of the CDN is to reduce children's anxiety and apprehension about hospitalisation and subsequent treatment. It's also an opportunity to send out a reminder about prevention and health and hygiene education: for example, dental students teach children about oral hygiene, future nurses teach them about hand washing, and dietetics students teach them about healthy eating.
By taking part in the CDN, the UNamur students can familiarise with contact with children. This is an area of their training supervised by health professionals who know children well (child psychiatrists, psychologists, paediatricians, nurses, etc.). The aim? To give them the keys to adapting their practices to children's reactions and questions.
Alice Tellier, Sophie Richard and Clara Lemaylleux came to talk about their time at CDN. Here are their testimonials.
"I loved the experience! I have an easy way with children because I've been babysitting since I was 14, but explaining the role of a pharmacist to them is another story. Following my participation in the CDN, I'll be taking care to raise children's awareness of taking medicines. It's important to remind them that medicine is not candy and that they need to take it if they want to get better." - Alice Tellier
"I got involved in this project because I wanted to show children a less frightening image of the hospital environment. We had to explain to them how a pharmacy works, the different types of medicine that can be found there and show them how a capsule is made. What I've learnt is that we need to make sure we're talking to children too, and not just their parents." - Sophie Richard
"It's great to be able to introduce younger children to the medical world, which can be a source of anxiety for some. Children are often afraid of dentists or surgeons, but pharmacy is still a little-known field for them. I really enjoyed explaining to them the usefulness of my future profession by showing them that a pharmacist is not just a salesman selling boxes of medicines. I was surprised by the maturity of some of the children, who were interested in what we were showing them and sometimes asked very interesting questions." - Clara Lemaylleux