{"id":166753,"date":"2024-04-19T14:17:40","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T12:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=166753"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:18","slug":"medicine-students-let-children-cure-their-stuffed-animals-during-teddy-bear-doctor-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/04\/19\/medicine-students-let-children-cure-their-stuffed-animals-during-teddy-bear-doctor-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Medicine students let children cure their stuffed animals during teddy bear doctor day"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Tuesday, student organisation IFMSA organised berendokterdag<\/em>, a teddy bear doctor day, where children could cure their ‘sick’ soft toys. “Many children undergo intense treatment, and now they get to \u2018treat\u2019 their own soft toys.”<\/p>\n

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On teddy bear doctor day, children become doctors. They may bring their own 'sick' stuffed animals or pick one out in the hall.<\/span><\/p>

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The lobby of the Sophia Children\u2019s Hospital was transformed into a \u2018teddy bear hospital\u2019 on Tuesday morning. In the centre of the lobby stood a large craft table with a white dotted tablecloth on top. On the table were colouring sheets and pencils. Various stuffed animals were sitting together on a desk, from elephants to tigers and teddy bears. Finally, there were four \u2018stalls\u2019, meant to represent different locations: the GP, the radiology department, the operating theatre and the pharmacy.<\/p>\n

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Bear needs a shot.<\/span><\/p>

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At 10.00 am, the song Klaar voor de Start<\/em> (Ready to Start) by the Kinderen voor Kinderen Dutch children\u2019s choir could be heard through the speakers. A very appropriate choice, as the students were ready to welcome the first children. On teddy bear doctor day, children become doctors. They can bring their own \u2018sick\u2019 soft toys or choose one in the hall. They then walk past the stalls to heal their stuffed animals.<\/p>\n

White lab coat<\/h2>
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Student Wolf helps Evie-Lee with her tiger.<\/span><\/p>

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Evie-Lee, five years old, chooses a tiger. \u201cDo you also want to wear a lab coat?\u201d, a student asks her. Evie-Lee nods enthusiastically. As a patient herself, the girl is a regular visitor to the Sophia Children\u2019s Hospital. \u201cAnd she normally wears her own white lab coat during her appointments. She loves it\u201d, says her mother. The girl then hops from one stall to the next. At \u2018radiology\u2019, student Wolf helps Evie-Lee with a scan. \u201cOh dear, I see his leg is broken\u201d, he tells her. \u201cMaybe you can operate on him there in the operating theatre.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lobby is starting to get crowded. Four children are busy healing their stuffed animals. And that\u2019s exactly what we want, says organiser Eline van Haren. \u201cChildren can find a hospital visit scary, which is why we want to create a positive association through the teddy bear doctor,\u201d the third-year Medicine student explains. \u201cYou can also see this activity as a way to help children come to terms with things. Many children undergo intense treatment, and now they get to \u2018treat\u2019 their own soft toys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visiting the departments<\/h2>

As the lobby fills up with children, Eline and fellow student Julianne walk towards the lift. Together, they push a \u2018mobile teddy bear cart\u2019, a decorated white medical trolley full of stuffed animals and craft supplies. A stuffed monkey hangs on the cart sideways, and a balloon in the shape of a rabbit is attached to it. \u201cWe take this cart past the beds of the children who cannot come to us\u201d, says Eline.<\/p>\n

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Eline (left) and Julianne walk around on the first floor.<\/span><\/p>

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In the Day Care Unit, there is a little boy aged around three. He has a Mickey Mouse with him. \u201cWhat a beautiful toy\u201d, Julianne says. She hands a stethoscope to the little boy. \u201cWould you maybe like to check Mickey\u2019s heart rate?\u201d<\/p>\n

Student volunteers<\/h2>
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In the 'operation theatre'.<\/span><\/p>

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While Eline and Julianne take a tour of the first floor, first-year students Ren\u00e9e and Wolf help the children in the lobby. They are not members of IFMSA but are participating during the morning as volunteers. \u201cI think it\u2019s important for children to feel comfortable in hospital\u201d, Ren\u00e9e says. \u201cIt\u2019s also fun to see the different ways in which children approach the activity\u201d, Wolf adds. \u201cSome are very enthusiastic and pretend to be real doctors, while others are a bit reserved and prefer to watch from the sidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In 'the pharmacy', the stuffed animals get a mouth mask and a bandage.<\/span><\/p>

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Meanwhile, more than fifteen children have cured their soft toys in the lobby of the Sophia Children\u2019s Hospital. Reda has operated on his raccoon. \u201cHe has broken legs and arms\u201d, says the six-year-old. He is going home now, but he wants to visit the teddy bear doctor again first. \u201cHello, doctor!\u201d, Ren\u00e9e greets him. The little boy laughs and gives Ren\u00e9e a high five. \u201cNow he wants to be \u2018a real doctor\u2019 when he grows up\u201d, says his father.<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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