Student Paediatric Society
University College Dublin.
UCD Paediatric Society's Teddy Bear Hospital was launched in 2016, and aimed to tackle childhood anxiety about medical encounters.
Our inaugural event was held in two Dublin primary schools in April 2016, with tremendous support from our event partners, Helium Arts; the national children's arts and health organisation. We started by looking at the most common interactions a child will face in a medical setting, such as injections, examinations and plaster casts. We devised fun activities and games around these themes to broaden the children's understanding and promote positive experiences.
Following the huge success of last year's event, our second Teddy Bear Hospital took place on 17th February 2017. The boys and girls were given a medical chart and hospital identity bracelet for their teddies before bringing them to see the doctors! They learned about stethoscopes, patellar hammers & pen torches, MRIs & X-Rays, slings & bandages, plaster casts, injections, nutrition and exercise.
The pupils had smiles on their faces all day, and the volunteers did too! We're already looking forward to our next Teddy Bear Hospital on 31st March!
For information on how to volunteer at our next event, how to host a Teddy Bear Hospital, or if you want to sponsor some supplies for the event, see all the details below!
Filling out Teddy's Medical Chart!
Learning about the food pyramid at the nutrition station!
Putting a plaster cast on one of our volunteers!
Checking Teddy's reflexes!
Teddy's arm needed a sling!
Examining one of our volunteer's throats!
One of our little doctors listening to a volunteer's lungs!
Teddy is being very brave in the MRI machine!
Learning about stethoscopes!