Children’s extra special patients grin and bear it

The Cambridge News reports on teddy bears that underwent x-rays and operations to demonstrate what happens in hospitals to children, to increase their knowledge of medical treatments:

 

Teddy bears underwent x-rays and operations yesterday to teach children about hospitals. Cambridge University medical students, otherwise known as “teddy doctors”, welcomed pupils from Newnham Croft Primary School and Castle School in Cambridge to a “Teddy Bear Hospital” at the Child Development Centre at Addenbrooke’s.

 

This was the sixth Teddy Bear Hospital event to be held in Cambridge since the initiative began in 2009. Its committee is made up of fourth to sixth-year medical students from a range of university colleges.

 

The student volunteers guided the children around various activity stations, representing different areas of a hospital. These included an ambulance, admission to a ward, and x-ray. The children’s teddy bears stood in for patients in need of help, with tummy aches, sore limbs and even a broken heart.

 

The children played the roles of the medical team. At the operating theatre station, the children dressed up as surgeons and performed an operation on specially made teddies that can be zipped open and have damaged organs removed. In other areas they could take their teddy’s temperature or bandage a bear’s leg.

 

Lorna Fairbairn, a 22-year-old fifth-year medical student from Pembroke College, said: “The aim of the day is to increase the children’s knowledge about what happens in hospital, which we hope will prepare them if they ever have to visit one in the future.

 

“We want to reduce any anxieties that the children may have by answering their questions and explaining more about what goes on when someone is admitted to hospital.

 

“We also tried to promote important health-related issues, such as healthy eating and exercise.”

 

She added: “One of the intentions of Teddy Bear Hospital is to allow the medical students to improve their skills in interacting with young children which will be a helpful skill in many branches of medicine.”

 

Children from Newnham Croft Primary School visited the hospital in the morning and in the afternoon the activity stations were adapted for pupils from special needs school, Castle School.

 

> Cambridge News article

 

 

 

Back to top