Health play specialist job

Play therapy is used by health play professionals in order to assist youngsters in comprehending their medical condition, course of treatment, and how it will affect them in their day-to-day lives.

Your primary place of employment will be hospitals, hospices, and clinics, and you will be responsible for organizing play activities for the purpose of assisting children in getting ready for surgeries and other clinical procedures and working through their fears and anxieties.

Your work will be grounded by a mix of theoretical knowledge and evidence-based practice, which will enable you to create, execute, assess, and evaluate therapeutic play programs that help children (starting from birth) and young adults in their emotional and developmental growth.

You'll also provide support to parents, caregivers, and other members of the extended family, such as siblings, and provide guidance on how they might utilize play to assist their children in making sense of what's going on in their lives.

Responsibilities

As an expert in health play, you will be required to do the following:

To encourage children to participate in play activities, you should provide a setting that is warm and inviting, as well as secure and compassionate.

advocate on behalf of children and adolescents throughout their contacts with other members of the healthcare team

Children and young people should each have an opportunity to participate in a variety of play, dramatic, artistic, and craft activities that are age-appropriate. These activities should be planned for and carried out individually and in groups.

Make use of play to assist children and young people in adjusting to life in the hospital, to assist them in preparing for medical procedures, and to assist in calming and distracting them while these operations are being carried out, which will facilitate their consent and compliance.

Play may be used to assist children in achieving their developmental goals, learning new abilities, and relearning skills that they may have lost while they were unwell.

Encourage patients and their families to engage in social activity in order to increase their chances of making friends and receiving support from other people located in the wards.

Watch the youngsters while they play either on the ward, in a designated playroom, or even at their bedsides.

Accept specific recommendations for children and families who are having trouble adjusting to the shift from hospital admission and procedures to home care or hospice.

conduct out therapy evaluations, documenting them, and monitor each child's development as well as any backsliding they may be experiencing.

the efficacy of the play interventions should be evaluated, and their program of care should be revised appropriately.

In order to assist the patient's long-term care plan, please share your evaluations and observations with the other members of the healthcare team, including speech therapists, medical physicians, registered nurses, and physiotherapists.

maintain communication with health play professionals working in the community and in hospices in order to guarantee the continuation of play interventions

Help families who are going through a difficult time and provide them advice on how they may utilize play with their children to make it easier for them to deal with the effects of their diagnosis and treatment.

During the course of their sickness, stress the significance of play and bring attention to the children's emotional requirements.

Make sure that all of the toys and other play facilities are maintained, cleaned, and kept in a secure location.

In more senior positions, you could be required to:

manage the practice's planning, assessment, and inspection processes.

supervise less experienced employees, such as health play assistants.

the management of the department's budget, as well as the selection and acquisition of a variety of suitable toys for the ward/department

monitor students studying to become health play specialists while they are on placement.

Salary

Within the National Health Service (NHS), health play assistants may earn anything from £19,737 to £21,142 per year (band 3 of the NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) Pay Rates).

After receiving your certification as a health play expert, your salary may range anywhere from £21,892 to £24,157 (band 4), and it can go as high as £24,907 to £30,615 for more senior positions (band 5).

Earnings for team leaders and professional leads may range anywhere from £31,365 to £37,890 each year (band 6). It is possible for play service managers and clinical professionals to earn salaries that are higher than this.

Outside of the NHS, wages and working conditions might be more unpredictable.

The numbers are simply meant to serve as a guide.

Time spent working

Your typical work week will be 37.5 hours long. There are jobs that need you to work on the weekends and on bank holidays.

Part-time employment are available.

What may be anticipated

You will be a member of a multidisciplinary team that also consists of psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and registered nurses.

The employment market is reflective of the fact that the health play specialization is a relatively tiny profession in comparison to other allied health professions. The bulk of employment openings may be found in the bigger cities and towns in the United Kingdom. These are the locations that are home to children's hospitals or larger teaching hospitals that employ more than 20 health play experts on staff. It is possible that there are just one or two postings available at the hospitals serving smaller towns and rural regions.

You will need to be emotionally resilient since you will be working with children who are in a tremendous lot of discomfort and frequently in a great deal of pain. Additionally, you will be working with their families, who may also be finding it difficult to cope with the situation. On the other hand, this is a career that has the potential to be fulfilling since it requires you to utilize your knowledge, skills, and imagination to foster an environment in the hospital that is safe and caring for children and their families.

Because you'll need to organize, relocate, and put away play equipment, the labor might become rather strenuous at times.

It is quite unlikely that travel will be required of you as part of the work, unless it is to attend various types of training or conferences.

Qualifications

In order to pursue a career as a health play specialist, you are going to need to get a foundation degree in healthcare play specialty and become registered with the Healthcare Play Specialist Education Trust (HPSET). This is a part-time, two-year degree that is offered at the following locations and is validated by the University of West London:

Cardiff & Vale College

The City College of Leeds (University Centre Leeds)

Both Nescot and Epsom

College serving both North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire

You will attend college one day per week to take classes that blend theory and practice, and you will spend the other six days of the week working to build the practical skills and knowledge you need in your career.

You'll need the following things in order to secure a spot on a class:

a certification of at least level 3 in child care or a profession closely connected to it

experience with children dating back no less than two years at a minimum (after gaining the level three qualification)

a grade 4 or above on both the English and mathematics GCSEs, or an equivalent level 2 in reading and numeracy.

a record of recent, consistent, and relevant work in the field, whether such job was paid or unpaid.

If you are not currently working in a hospital, you will be required to complete a 200-hour hospital placement during each year of the course. You will be responsible for arranging this placement before the program begins.

You will also require the assistance of a seasoned certified play expert who is willing to serve in the capacity of your work-based mentor. Contact course providers for more information on entrance criteria.

There is also the option to pursue a higher apprenticeship in the field of health play specialist.

In addition to this, you will be required to go through an upgraded Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS).

After gaining experience in fields such as teaching, nursing, or social work, it is feasible to go into the field of health play as a second profession.

Registration for the HPSET is often required for employment in the field of health and play specialists. In some regions of the United Kingdom, there is a lot of rivalry for positions, while in other regions there is a shortage of licensed practitioners, making it difficult for businesses to find employees who are appropriately qualified. However, the majority of graduates are able to get work at a medical facility or another relevant context.

Skills

You'll need to make sure you have:

the capacity to form ties with children and their families as well as the ability to establish rapport with them

sensitivity, perseverance, and dexterity

abilities in both verbal and writing communication, including the ability to listen, observe, take notes, and maintain records

abilities in functioning in a team environment and the capacity to do so within a broad interdisciplinary group

the capacity to work without supervision and to organize one's work in a prioritized fashion

abilities in organization for the purpose of planning and carrying out play activitie

competence in general information technology, including the usage of Word

imagination, vigor, and excitement

understanding of other cultures as well as respect for the children's and their families' diverse religious and cultural backgrounds

a work strategy that is adaptable in order to accommodate the variety of requirements that youngsters have

an awareness of sensitive matters as well as concerns for protection

knowledge of risks, health, and safety concerns

Practice in the workplace

It is required that you have previous job experience in the childcare field. Before you can apply to become a health play expert, you will need to have two years of experience working with children at level 3 in any capacity. This might be done on a paid or volunteer basis. If you have a certificate in childcare that is appropriate for level 3, you could be able to find work as a health play assistant in a hospital or clinic. It would be beneficial to have experience working as a nursery nurse, teaching assistant, learning mentor, or youth worker.

It is beneficial to your skill development to have prior experience working in social work, teaching, or providing pediatric nursing care. Additionally valuable is experience gained in the fields of art, theatre, music, or occupational therapy gained when working with children and young people.

If you are interested in the position and want to learn more about it, you may attempt to organize some volunteer work in a hospital with a licensed health play expert, or you could ask if you can job shadow them. Both of these options are available. Both in terms of demonstrating your dedication to the task and gaining a better understanding of the function, this will assist.

Find out more information on the many types of work experience and internships that are currently offered.

Employers

The National Health Service (NHS) employs the vast majority of health play experts. You will most likely be employed at a hospital, namely in a department that provides medical care to children. You may work in a huge play section in a children's hospital like Great Ormond Street Hospital or Alder Hey. Both of these institutions are good options. Opportunities to work on children's wards in a variety of departments, including those listed below, are available here.

wellness of adolescents

cardiac care

apartments for day use and short-term stays

general medicine

infection, malignant malignancy, and immune defenses (ICI)

intensive care

neonates

outpatients

pre-admissions

radiology

respiratory care

surgery.

You also have the option of establishing your base in the ward or department of a general hospital that treats pediatric patients. In situations like these, you will most likely work as part of a smaller team in pediatric intensive care units, neonatal intensive care units, outpatient clinics, or pediatric intensive care units.

Work with children may even be done in the homes of patients, as well as in private hospitals, hospices, community health teams, community paediatric teams, and community health teams.

Try looking for employment opportunities at:

Play Therapists and Health Promotion Professionals National Association (NAHPS)

NHS Jobs

Recruitment for the NHS in Scotland

Some positions may be listed as "play specialist" or "hospital play specialist," despite the fact that "registered health play specialist" is the right term for a competent and registered practitioner in the field of play therapy.

In addition, you may look for work opportunities on the websites of particular hospital trusts.

Professional development

Even though enrollment in the HPSET is now optional, you are strongly advised to enroll in the exam and to keep your enrollment current by doing so every two years. This demonstrates that you are dedicated to continuing your professional growth as well as adhering to a code of behavior (CPD).

You are required to maintain a level of expertise and knowledge that is current in order to keep your registration active. You may accomplish this goal by a variety of actions, such as the following:

participating in the work of a professional organization such as the NAHPS

peer discussion

participation at conferences, including giving presentations

carrying out research endeavors

participation in conferences and seminars

evaluating books and articles, as well as reading journals and articles

volunteering in an appropriate capacity.

The NAHPS hosts a variety of conferences and events throughout the year exclusively for its members. These events provide attendees the chance to network with other professionals and locate area networking organizations.

Practice and collaboration with others in a variety of specialized medical fields, such as cancer, will allow you to hone your abilities and expand your knowledge base. Because each topic will cover a wide variety of illnesses and treatment strategies, you will need to educate yourself on how these conditions influence the life of a child or young person and how to best satisfy their requirements. In order to build these skills and knowledge, you will collaborate with members of the interdisciplinary team as well as senior health professionals.