Therapeutic Gaming Specialists

Latest revision as of 17:58, 23 January 2024

Summary of Role

Therapeutic Gaming & Technology Specialists play a crucial role in supporting Child Life and hospital staff by implementing, managing, and enhancing patient-facing gaming and technology services in the hospital setting. Numerous hospitals recognize the benefits of utilizing video games and related technology throughout a patient's stay to address normalization, socialization, coping, pain management, and more. The Game Tech Specialist excels in delivering therapeutic experiences through video games and technology while efficiently maintaining the gaming program's infrastructure.

Tailoring their roles to meet the unique needs of each facility, Game Tech Specialists may extend their responsibilities to areas such as CCTV programming and other hospital-wide media forms. The allocation of hours varies, with some specialists primarily engaged in direct patient care and the rest dedicated to equipment support. Three common versions of Game Tech Specialists include Patient-focused, Equipment/Program-focused, and Hybrid Patient & Program roles.

Example Job Titles & Descriptions

Titles

Job titles vary greatly within the field, but remain similar to any of the following examples:

Therapeutic Gaming and Technology Specialist
Gaming Technology Specialist
Patient Technology Coordinator
Child Life Gaming and Technology Specialist
Program Coordinator
Recreation Technology Specialist
Patient Technology Support Specialist
Media Coordinator

Primary Role

The key responsibilities of Gaming Technology-centered roles encompass the following areas:

Knowledge & Maintenance of Technology Equipment:
- Stay updated on gaming systems, platforms, and new technology.
- Deploy, update, troubleshoot, and repair gaming technology systems and related equipment.
Therapeutic Interventions:
- Provide developmentally appropriate gaming and technology opportunities to encourage patient expression, reduce anxiety, and normalize the hospital experience.
- Conduct 1:1 bedside gaming sessions, group gaming sessions, virtual activities, or independent gaming time.
Train and Support Healthcare Teams:
- Collaborate with healthcare staff to provide assessments and recommendations for gaming/technology interventions.
- Lead training sessions for onboarding new staff into the gaming program.
Documentation/Data Collection:
- Accurately document interventions, detailing sessions with patients and their outcomes.
- Collect data and metrics to track the usage and impact of the role.
Innovation and Growth:
- Build partnerships with internal and external organizations for new and impactful gaming and technology programs.
- Use technology creatively within the hospital environment related to patient care.

Supporting Healthcare Teams | Examples

Educating and training Child Life and hospital staff on video game equipment usage inpatient interventions.
Collaborating in co-treat opportunities with Physical and Occupational Therapy teams for innovative treatments.
Producing and delivering CCTV programming.
Suggesting specific games to care teams for scenarios like pain management, anxiety reduction, grief, physical activity, or cognitive impairment.

Direct Patient Care | Examples

Conducting 1:1 bedside gaming sessions.
Enabling the use of personal gaming equipment in hospital rooms.
Engaging in 3D printing projects for memory-making, legacy building, and mastery.
Advocating for patient control in their hospital experience.
Providing social support through engaging conversations about game culture interests.
Facilitating multiplayer opportunities to connect patients within the hospital.

Professional Development Opportunities

Pediatric Gaming Technology Symposium
Professional Conferences
Certifications and Learning Paths

Child's Play Hospital Grant Application

Organizations that have funded Pediatric Game Technology Specialist.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 == Summary of Role ==
-Therapeutic Gaming & Technology Specialists provide Child Life and hospital staff a direct support in implementing, managing, and supporting patient facing gaming and technology needs in the hospital. Dozens of hospitals are advocates for utilizing video games and related technology throughout the hospital stay to target patient's normalization, socialization, coping, pain management, and more. The Game Tech. Specialist is an expert in delivering therapeutic experiences to patients using video games and other technology, in addition to maintaining efficient infrastructure of the gaming program. Based on the facility's unique needs, the Game Tech. Specialist role may be stretched into surrounding areas such as CCTV programming and other forms of hospital-wide media. Allocation of hours also varies per each hospital, with some Game Tech. Specialists spending the majority of their time in direct patient care, with the remainder of time being used for equipment support. Three common "versions" of Game Tech. Specialists are '''1) Patient-focused''', '''2) Equipment/Program-focused''', and '''3) Hybrid Patient & Program'''.
+Therapeutic Gaming & Technology Specialists play a crucial role in supporting Child Life and hospital staff by implementing, managing, and enhancing patient-facing gaming and technology services in the hospital setting. Numerous hospitals recognize the benefits of utilizing video games and related technology throughout a patient's stay to address normalization, socialization, coping, pain management, and more. The Game Tech Specialist excels in delivering therapeutic experiences through video games and technology while efficiently maintaining the gaming program's infrastructure.
+Tailoring their roles to meet the unique needs of each facility, Game Tech Specialists may extend their responsibilities to areas such as CCTV programming and other hospital-wide media forms. The allocation of hours varies, with some specialists primarily engaged in direct patient care and the rest dedicated to equipment support. Three common versions of Game Tech Specialists include Patient-focused, Equipment/Program-focused, and Hybrid Patient & Program roles.
 == Example Job Titles & Descriptions ==
 === Titles ===
 Job titles vary greatly within the field, but remain similar to any of the following examples:
 * Therapeutic Gaming and Technology Specialist
 * Gaming Technology Specialist
@@ Line 11: / Line 14: @@
 * Program Coordinator
 * Recreation Technology Specialist
 * Patient Technology Support Specialist
 * Media Coordinator
-=== Descriptions ===
+=== Primary Role ===
-The pillars below cover the most common areas of responsibility for Gaming Technology-centered roles. Roles may also include support for CCTV programming, staff technological support, or Family Resource Center management.
-* Knowledge & maintenance of technology equipment
+The key responsibilities of Gaming Technology-centered roles encompass the following areas:
-Maintain an updated working knowledge of gaming systems, platforms, and new technology. Deploy, update, troubleshoot, and repair gaming technology systems and related equipment to ensure working order of all resources.
-* Therapeutic interventions
+# Knowledge & Maintenance of Technology Equipment:
-Provide developmentally appropriate gaming and technology opportunities to patients that encourage expression of feelings, reduce anxiety, and promote normalization of the hospital experience. This may include 1:1 bedside gaming sessions with patients, group gaming sessions, virtual gaming activities, or independent gaming time. Collaboration with Physical and Occupational Therapy teams allows opportunity for co-treat interventions for patients, where gaming or gaming technology is used within the therapy session to reach specific and measured outcomes (AR/VR, fitness/movement based games, adaptive gaming sessions).
+#* Stay updated on gaming systems, platforms, and new technology.
-* Train and support healthcare teams
+#* Deploy, update, troubleshoot, and repair gaming technology systems and related equipment.
-Effectively collaborate and communicate with other healthcare staff, including Child Life or volunteer teams, to provide assessments and recommendations for gaming/technology interventions with patients. Onboard new staff into gaming program by leading training sessions so that all relevant team members maintain confidence in technology resources available to patients.
+# Therapeutic Interventions:
-* Documentation/data collection
+#* Provide developmentally appropriate gaming and technology opportunities to encourage patient expression, reduce anxiety, and normalize the hospital experience.
-Accurately document interventions, if required by healthcare system, detailing sessions with patients including goal for session and objective outcome. Collect data and metrics of daily patient interventions, time allocation, and equipment utilized to track usage and impact of role.
+#* Conduct 1:1 bedside gaming sessions, group gaming sessions, virtual activities, or independent gaming time.
-* Innovation and growth
+# Train and Support Healthcare Teams:
-Lead your team in building partnerships with internal and external organizations to develop new and impactful gaming and technology programs. Use technology in creative ways within the hospital environment related to patient care. Find areas of growth to promote advocacy for the program throughout the entire hospital and donors.
+#* Collaborate with healthcare staff to provide assessments and recommendations for gaming/technology interventions.
+#* Lead training sessions for onboarding new staff into the gaming program.
+# Documentation/Data Collection:
+#* Accurately document interventions, detailing sessions with patients and their outcomes.
+#* Collect data and metrics to track the usage and impact of the role.
+# Innovation and Growth:
+#* Build partnerships with internal and external organizations for new and impactful gaming and technology programs.
+#* Use technology creatively within the hospital environment related to patient care.
 == Supporting Healthcare Teams | Examples ==
-* Educating and training Child Life and hospital staff in how to use video game equipment in patient interventions
-* Collaborate in co-treat opportunities with Physical and Occupational Therapy teams to create innovative treatments for patients utilizing adaptive gaming equipment
+* Educating and training Child Life and hospital staff on video game equipment usage inpatient interventions.
-* Produce and deliver CCTV programming
+* Collaborating in co-treat opportunities with Physical and Occupational Therapy teams for innovative treatments.
-* Use game expertise to suggest particular games to care teams for different scenarios such as pain management, anxiety reduction, grief, physical activity, or cognitive impairment
+* Producing and delivering CCTV programming.
+* Suggesting specific games to care teams for scenarios like pain management, anxiety reduction, grief, physical activity, or cognitive impairment.
 == Direct Patient Care | Examples ==
-* 1:1 bedside gaming session
-* Enabling use of personal gaming equipment in hospital room
+* Conducting 1:1 bedside gaming sessions.
-* 3D printing projects (memory making, legacy building, mastery, project progression)
+* Enabling the use of personal gaming equipment in hospital rooms.
-* Advocating for giving patients control in their hospital experience (allowing choice of game, console, independent vs. collaborative)
+* Engaging in 3D printing projects for memory-making, legacy building, and mastery.
-* Providing social support in engaging conversations with patients about interests in game culture
+* Advocating for patient control in their hospital experience.
-* Connecting patients within hospital through multiplayer opportunities
+* Providing social support through engaging conversations about game culture interests.
+* Facilitating multiplayer opportunities to connect patients within the hospital.
 == Professional Development Opportunities ==
@@ Line 47: / Line 59: @@
 == Child's Play Hospital Grant Application ==
-Example Text
+Organizations that have funded Pediatric Game Technology Specialist.
-Pediatric Hospitals that meet the XYZ CRITERIA can apply LINKIE (?)
+* [http://www.childsplaycharity.org/ Child's Play Charity]
-Impact of CP on Hospital Game Tech programs across country...
+* [https://www.joyinchildhoodfoundation.org/ Dunkin Joy Foundation]
-# of programs funded... etc.. marketing opportunity