Amongst many of the great experiences I had encountered in Italy, one of my favorites was our visit to the children’s hospital in Florence. The Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria (AOU) Meyer Children’s Hospital of Florence, located on the outskirts of the city, is the only children’s hospital within the Tuscany region. It is rather new, built within the past ten years, and large, about 33,000 square meters total. It can be found just a short distance away from the adult hospital too! Upon arrival at AOU Meyer, I recall feeling utterly amazed. The hospital looked nothing like what we view as the typical hospital in America. The appearance was decorated beautifully with an abundance of color, plenty of greenery, and a variety of thoughtfully-designed structures. I could not wait to get inside!
As graduate students studying the field of child life, our goal for this visit was to expand our knowledge base by engaging with play educators, or what would be identified as the closest equivalent of a certified child life specialist role found in children’s hospitals in Italy. Now, if you do not already know, the child life specialist in children’s hospitals in America embodies a variety of roles. Though, to put it simply, they assist the patient, and sometimes even family members too, in coping with stressors associated with hospitalization. Similarly, the role of the play educator at AOU Meyer is to provide therapeutic coping strategies through play activities. In completing an activity with the play educators themselves, I further observed how essential a sense of community is in Italian culture. The activities facilitated by the play educators are specifically developed to adhere to groups of children and their families. They also follow a common theme which is modified each month. The sense of consistency and inclusion promoted throughout each activity is essentially what “brings people together.” This was an experience just as impactful to observe as it was to be engaged in. I value the connectedness seen between staff, patients, and families alike.
In the future, I would love to see the child life specialist and the play educator working together. I truly believe that an individual, no matter their career and education or culture and values, has the potential to learn so much from interacting with another that differs from them. Remarkably, I even learned a few tips and tricks from our short time spent at AOU Meyer that I plan on implementing in my child life studies and career moving forward!