What About the Children? Special Administration Concerns

Children are

Living Messages

We send to a time

We will not see

Most of the time when we see a child, we say "Isn't he or she cute," "How darling," "What an amazing child," "How beautiful!!"

Children can make us smile, bring joy to our hearts, teach us many lessons, and cause us to pause and think about our answer to their questions. Children are always amazed and curious. They explore and ask why.

At Banner Children's Hospital at Banner Desert Medical Center, we worked with staff, children, and their families to develop a covenant that guides us in all we do as we care for children. The following is our covenant:

Through the Eyes of a Child

A Banner Children's Hospital Covenant

"What will I become?" It's one of life's most important questions. And whether you are a child, a teenager, a grown up, or even an organization, the answer is important because it's a vital part of our endless search for meaning.

So what will you become? It depends a lot on how you see things.

If you look through the eyes of the skeptic, you may become frightened.

If you look through the eyes of the realist, you may become jaded.

If you look through the eyes of the expert, you may become controlling.

But what would you become if you looked through the eyes of a beginner? Through the eyes of possibility? In other words, what would we become if we looked through the eyes of a child?

In a kid's world, they see a land of wonder, of constant miracle, of unending surprise. And the only word that describes it is "WOW!!" Children are easily amazed and always amazing. They can create for themselves a magical place where nothing is too outrageous and everything is possible. There are no boundaries, only dreams. And because what they build in their imagination is always real, each new discovery is met with unbridled joy.

Children are always exploring, changing, growing. They are unencumbered with "the way we've always done it." Since everything is new, they are not afraid of the untried. Mistakes do not deter them. They are just a chance to try again, this time in a better way. They always seek to learn something new, to do something they could not accomplish yesterday. And when learning is fun, children are tireless. They never stop. It is their life.

And what do children see when they look in the mirror, when they peer deep inside themselves? The whole world in miniature, of course. Because each thing they have looked upon, they have made a part of themselves. There is almost no sense of where they stop and where everything else begins. They are connected to it all, and they make a difference in it all. They are powerful beyond measure because at a moment's notice, children can sacrifice all that they are for all that they could become.

Children are always asking, "Why?" They are curious. They are always wondering and wonderful. But there is one thing of which they are certain. They have no doubt of their uniqueness, no doubt of the fact there is no one else quite like them. And unless they are taught otherwise, there is nothing they can't do.

So starting today, if we could have only one aspiration, let it be to see what they see. Because when we adopt their view of things, we will connect with them in a vibrant and vital way. And that relationship will make us all stronger.

Let's build a place where kid's orders are just as important as doctor's orders. Let's build a place where boundless energy and youthful exuberance are the norm, not the exception. Let's use laughter as one of our key measures of success. And on those days when we don't see our work as an adventure, or ourselves as the most important difference, let's not trust our eyes, for our imagination is clearly out of focus.

When we see everything we do through the eyes of a child, we will have reached our goal. And then it will dawn on us. We haven't healed the children. They have healed us.

At Banner Children's Hospital, we believe that we have a responsibility to not only provide care to children and their families but also be an advocate for our children.

Children are joyous, but they can also be a challenge for parents and families. Stress of a child having an illness, concern of not having the financial means to support a child with lifelong special needs, and knowing that there will be no respite can lead to child abuse and neglect. All too often, we hear about children being abandoned by a parent, children needing foster care, malnourished children, and sexually abused children. Does this information become one of the exploitation of children to "sell newspapers," or does the United States have a major problem that requires significant and aggressive intervention?

How are we certain that children's rights and needs are met everyday? How will we support "kids orders" being as important as doctors orders? How will we be certain that we are advocating for children everyday? When will we eliminate all child abuse? How will we as professionals contribute to a healthy society for children?

We believe that this journal gives the field a limited but very powerful group of articles on various children's issues, challenges, and opportunities. It provides the field with knowledge and learning from some of our colleagues. The richness of our colleagues work and experience gives us all guidance in our journey to making this a better world for the children. Thank you for joining us in creating a positive path for each child's journey to his or her future. Remember the words of Garrison Keillor, "Nothing you do for Children is ever wasted."

-Rhonda Anderson, DNSc, RN, FAAN, FACHE

Pediatric Administrator/Regional Pediatric Service Line Administrator Banner Children's Hospital at Banner Desert Medical Center

-Ginger Malone, MSN, RN

Chief Nursing Officer Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota