Life and patient care as we know it has changed throughout all health care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. As most departments have limited visitors to patients in hospitals, so has pediatrics, but with a child-oriented twist.

Children admitted to the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, located in the Charlestown Navy Yard where the MGH Institute is located, had enjoyed their parents, families, and friends as part of the health care team. Regular visits by therapy dogs, volunteers for arts and crafts, and Boston sport stars were a welcomed distraction to the three hours of therapy a day for the young patients on this unit.

Today, in the midst of this pandemic, parents and staff are making extraordinary efforts to keep their young patients safe, comforted, and distracted. Each child is allowed one parent to stay with them throughout their hospitalization; the average length of stay is 30 days. The parent who elects to stay must remain on the unit for the entire hospitalization of their child. If they leave, they cannot come back. This is an especially difficult hardship for families.

The nursing, therapy, and medical team have made a concerted effort to keep the 8th floor of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, COVID-free and child-oriented. FaceTime and Zoom visits with family and friends, watching dog parades outside their windows, and extra time with the Child Life Specialists entertain children who are recovering from serious injury and illness.

As a pediatric NP hospitalist who has worked at Spaulding for the last seven years, I’ve been taking on extra shifts to relieve full-time medical and nurse practitioner staff on weekends. I am overwhelmed by the dedication and caring I see on this unit. Beside that ever-present mask, I am not sure many of our young patients even know what is going on outside this hospital.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to bring in my nurse practitioner students lately. Once life gets back to usual, I have several excellent students I look forward to re-integrating into this incredible teaching site.

Rita Olans, DNP ’13, RN, CPNP, APRN-BC, is an assistant professor of nursing in the School of Nursing.