On Wednesday, 13 November, 50 primary school students participated in Teddy Bear Hospital clinics at St Francis Primary School in Victoria Gozo. 18 student volunteers from Queen Mary, Malta Campus ran the clinics providing the children with a fun and educational afternoon.
Students from the Teddy Bear Hospital student society with primary school students
The Teddy Bear Hospital initiative started at Queen Mary University of London as a way of helping children understand hospital services and reduce their anxieties about medical or dental treatments. The initiative has been taken up by students from the Queen Mary Malta Campus medical school, who held the first clinics at St Francis Primary School in Victoria, Gozo last Wednesday. These workshops provide children with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with medical and dental equipment in an interactive setting, helping them to learn about healthcare in a friendly way.
In preparation for the clinics, children were asked to bring a sick teddy from home for a check-up. The children and their teddy bears explored five interactive stations which were specifically designed to be engaging and interactive for children aged four to six years of age. The stations were designed to reflect real-life hospital services including how to prepare themselves when visiting the doctor or dentist. At a new emergency station children learned about when to call an ambulance, what happens when they do, and the equipment they might see in an ambulance and emergency room. The event also featured key learnings on healthy eating habits, proper handwashing and the handling of a surgical bear.
Ella Haslett, lead organiser of the Malta Teddy Bear Hospital initiative and Medical Student at Queen Mary, Malta Campus said: “As students at the Malta Campus, I along with my fellow student volunteers, were delighted that St Francis School Primary School in Victoria accepted our invitation and welcomed us to their school for the official launch of the Teddy Bear Hospital clinics in the primary school setting. The pupils were very enthusiastic and engaged with the interactive stations as they used medical tools to help their teddy bears feel better. We are very much looking forward to introducing these clinics to other schools across Gozo.”
Educators at St Francis Primary School Victoria Gozo, said: “The Teddy Bear Hospital clinics were a great opportunity for our pupils to familiarise themselves with real-life hospital scenarios in a fun, engaging and interactive way. As a school, we take every opportunity that support learning beyond the core curriculum and equips the students with life-learning skills”.
Queen Mary, Malta Campus has made it a priority to support community engagement. More primary schools in Gozo will be visited soon to introduce these educational sessions to children in their early years.