Isabelle Murphy

Isabelle Murphy is an outgoing collegiate woman, thriving in a new city and with new experiences every day. She is a senior who studies Child Life at Ohio University and she is the definition of a go-getter. Isabelle is originally from Boston, Massachusetts and for her last semester at Ohio University she took accepted an internship across the country at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Even though she is far from OU for her last semester she is learning valuable skills and experience.

HCOU: Why did you choose Seattle to do your internship?

Isabelle Murphy: When applying for internships, I didn’t limit myself to location by any means, which gave me more places to choose from! In the end I chose Seattle Children’s based on my Skype interview I had with the staff, who all seemed very open to having an intern from far away as well as their excitement for teaching. It is also the fifth in the country for Children’s hospitals, which is not a bad way of looking at it either! They had recently reprogrammed their internship and thought that I would be a good fit for basically being the guinea pig, which was fine by me! I am able to go with the flow in the workplace, which for their field and most definitely in a hospital is very important, so I was actually excited to help them figure out what works best for interns. Being able to learn from them while they are also learning from me is what won me over in the end. Also I had never been to Seattle before so why not move there, right?

HCOU: What kind of work are you doing on a day-to-day basis?

IM: My internship is to prepare me to become a CCLS (Certified Child Life Specialist), which is a team member at the hospital whose job is to support children and their families in hospital whether that means helping a child cope by using distraction and play or to preparing a child major surgery. Since a lot of what I am doing right now is observing interactions that my supervisors are having with patients in both inpatient/outpatient areas, my days at the moment are mostly reflection and observation based. I see patients throughout the day, learn how to write chart notes, help patients settle into the operating room (since my rotation is currently in the outpatient surgery area), and of course hangout with kiddos. Once I am more on my own during my next two rotations, I will have patients that doctors, nurses, etc. have referred to Child Life and start doing more hands-on interactions such as medical play, diagnosis teachings, provide support through procedures, create coping plans with families, etc.

HCOU: Out of the work that you do what are you enjoying the most?

IM: I am enjoying EVERYTHING!!! I love my major and I love being a child life intern, so this is awesome for me. But, being able to see how the hospital runs from a different perspective is very cool. I am starting to get to know doctors on a first name basis, which makes me feel very important (even though my badge says I am a student on it so they know I’m not all that important). Actually, today I was able stay in an OR for a procedure, which was AWESOME! It was nothing like Grey’s Anatomy, which I obviously knew it wasn’t going to be…but if only McDreamy was the surgeon…am I right…?

HCOU: Do you feel like the internship is preparing you for post-graduate life? Why/how?

IM: Absolutely! The Child and Family studies program at OU is set up so that the last semester of college, you are placed in an internship. Not only am I supported by the staff at the hospital who are trying to teach me everything they can about being a CCLS, I am also supported by my professors at OU since I am technically still enrolled in a 15 credit internship course! I have assignments, readings, journals, presentations, and all other school work type stuff that my preceptors at the hospital read through, grade, and give me feedback on, as well at professors at OU. I also have to give presentations to the entire department at the hospital which is most definitely preparing me for post-grad life…whether I like it or not.

HCOU: What have you learn so far that you did not expect to learn or be doing?

IM: Since I am doing an OR rotation, I am learning all about anesthesia, which as a Child Life major I never really thought I would know as much as I am learning! For example, I now know what ketamine and propofol are and how/why they are used, which before this I would have been very lost. Being exposed to the pre-op unit, I’ve learned how important it is as a CCLS to be able to explain those anesthetics to a child who is scared of going to sleep or worried about a mask covering his/her face, which at some developmental stages can be very traumatizing. I have much more to learn but this internship is making me push myself to learn things I never thought I could.

HCOU: What are the major differences between the East and West coast?

IM: The people. Being from Boston, I am used to everyone understanding my sarcastic comments and following with something even more sarcastic. In Seattle, not a lot of people get sarcasm, which can be scary because if not understood, it can come off as rude! Other than that, I think the biggest difference is the “earth friendly” vibe. Actually, not only is it just a vibe, it is truly a way of life. Everyone walks or takes public transportation and if you don’t compost everything that can be put in the compost bin, you will get a heavy fine. People are just way more conscious of their impact on the environment, which is by all means not a bad thing, just different!

HCOU: What do you miss the most about Ohio University?

IM: My friends. Being so far away during a semester that everyone is still there is difficult, especially since it is all of our last semester of college and I can’t experience that with them. 

(Photos courtesy of Isabelle Murphy)