MDW Child Life Conference

In 2011, I've been to Philadelphia and New York for Child Life Conferences. I had never attended the Annual Child Life Council Conference, but since it was in Washington D.C this year, I decided it would be in my best interest to go. My best friend, who is also a future CCLS, and I booked a ticket on the train, and we headed off to the Conference - the Memorial Day Weekend.

The conference was expensive for a recent college grad, but my motto has since become 'one must spend money to make money.' To save money though, we stayed at my friend's friend's fraternity house. I know, I know - I was going to a professional conference and I stay at an unprofessional house, but it ended up working out. It was just a metro ride away from the conference, and we were able to stay there for free, with zero interruptions [i.e. parties, loud boys, etc.].

We got there a day early - Wednesday - because we wanted to have a night to settle in, prior to heading to the conference on Thursday. We were able to grab dinner with my friend's friend, and then get a good night's sleep.

The next day we decided to explore Washington D.C and take in all it had to offer, since we didn't have to be at the conference until 4. Leave it to my friend and I though to wear our professional clothes [black slacks, nice presentable shirts, and flats] to walk around Washington D.C in the scorching sun. Not only were we sweating and our feet hurt, we ended up getting lost, not for long though! We saw the Washington Monument, and took amazing pictures.

When we arrived at the hotel Thursday afternoon, we were so excited to check in and receive our bag of child life goodies. We then headed off to two pre-conference intensives - New Member/First time Meeting & Connect 4 Success. I absolutely loved the Connect 4 Success intensive because I was able to talk to other child life specialists who are way ahead of me in the game, and network! I handed out my resume and collected business cards, as well as advice. During the New Member/First time Meeting, I feel as if I didn't get any time to talk to anyone, and I just learned about the Child Life Council - which is great and all but I felt as if there could have been more time to talk to others.

Afterwards, when we met up with our other friend who was also attending the conference, we decided to explore again, and visit the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, WWII Memorial, and Korean Veteran's Memorial.  I have to admit, while walking around at night it's extremely peaceful, and makes you think how little we truly are in this world.

The following days were spent at the conference. Friday, I attended three sessions - Using Visual Supports - Not Just for Patients with Autism, From Student to Specialist: Tips and Tricks for a Successful Transition, and Creating Truly Powerful and Effective Child Life Presentations for your Hospital and Community. Prior to the sessions, was a truly amazing opening speech made by Steve Gross from Life is good Playmakers; he spoke about the role of playfulness in healing children and was able to get the audience involved through play! It was so much fun and definitely stuck in my mind!

While we spent our nights exploring Washington, D.C, we spent our days learning more and more about child life. The following day, Saturday, I went to two sessions - When Children Have Life Threatening Medical Conditions: Help for the Child, the Family and the Professionals and The Creative Power of Pen: For Pleasure, Purpose, or Publication.

On our last day there I attended A Pilot Program: Introducing Child Life into a Radiation Oncology Clinic and So You Want to Go Back to School... Considerations for making the Move from Specialist to Student. Afterwards, my friend and I went to the National Zoo to enjoy the rest of our afternoon before we left on a train back to New Jersey.

My favorite session that I attended had to be The Creative Power of Pen, probably because I love to write, as you can tell. I was able to learn tips from how to get published to how to brainstorm. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Pilot Program session because I'm actually looking to eventually, after gaining experience, start my own program. I also loved it because it talked about the Radiation Oncology clinic, a place in the hospital where I can see myself working. Another great part about this conference was the fact that they had exhibits, posters, and bookstore setups, where I was able to gather even more great information and score free items from numerous companies and institutions associated with child life.

Washington D.C was beautiful, and I definitely hope to travel there again. Even though I was there on an 8th grade trip several years ago, I loved being able to explore and learn on my own.