Junior and Senior Infants are invited to bring their cuddly teddies into UCC next month for their check-ups, and no job is too big or small for the student volunteers.
The long-running event held by students from the Medical Society helps young children deal with anxiety around real hospital appointments by giving them time to learn about medicine in a safe, fun environment.
The makeshift hospital set-up in Devere Hall will feature three stations that mirror a real hospital experience, including waiting, treatment and exercise rooms. In the waiting room, kids will don medical scrubs while checking out equipment, such as a stethoscope, before moving on to the treatment room, where teddies will be accessed and treated.
Finally, in the exercise area, the smallies will learn a variety of exercise routines to make sure their teddies return to full health, all taught by student volunteers.
The team behind UCC’s Medsoc are hoping to welcome over 1,000 children from the Rebel County between February 10th-13th.
The volunteers who worked at the previous Teddy Bear Hospital events have said that the children come up with the “most random and crazy stuff”, which included pregnant teddies and some that had caught covid, with one teddy who had even fallen off the roof of a child’s house.
Alan Hodgins, the Education officer of Medsoc, said the event is aimed to alleviate any “qualms of fears young kids may have about attending healthcare environments”.
“Our event is aimed to help young children ages 4-6 who may have worries about doctors and hospitals, which can be daunting at this age.” he said.
“The children can bring their ‘sick’ or ‘hurt’ teddies into our makeshift hospital. It’s an opportunity to alleviate any qualms young kids may have about attending hospitals and GP practices.
“The ‘doctors’ in our Teddy Bear Hospital are volunteers from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-year medicine, donning white coats and scrub tops, who guide the children through our various activities and help get them accustomed to a medical environment.”