Parkland’s school re-entry program helps burn survivors get back to class
Program helps reduce questions, stares from classmates
The tiny town of Powderly in north-central Lamar County just north of Paris, Texas is reminiscent of rural America where days are spent outside with nature instead of glued to electronic devices. Last October 11 was one of those days when the sky was clear, the wind calm and 6-year old Jaxon McFarland was outside his family home watching as his dad burned trash. It was routine in this rural town to toss gasoline into the burn barrel to accelerate the burn.
Only this time was different.
Fumes from the barrel ignited a flash fire burning Jaxon’s jacket along with his face, right arm, chest and both hands. The youngster was transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital’s Regional Burn Center where he was hospitalized for three weeks undergoing skin grafting and beginning the long rehabilitation process.
“He’s doing amazingly well,” said Sarah McFarland of her son’s recovery. “The one thing is that he says ‘it’s annoying’ when people ask about his injuries.”
To help reduce the number of questions and eliminate the stares, a Parkland Child Life Specialist is available to accompany each burn survivor as they return to class. It’s all part of the burn center’s school re-entry program.
“The goal is to ease the child’s transition back to school after a hospitalization and life-changing burn injury. When a child sustains a severe burn injury, it often means they will miss school for several weeks or even months as they go through the healing and rehabilitation process,” said Meagan Young, CCLS, Child Life Specialist. “Although they are usually excited to see their friends and get back into a normal routine, it can also be scary if they are worried about their classmates accepting their new physical differences. Our job is to explain what has happened in a simple but honest way so that they can better understand what their friend has been through.”
The program is customized for each individual child and school, but typically consists of:
• Social skills training for the child and their parents prior to going back to school (how to answer questions from strangers, cope with staring, etc.)
• Communication with the school staff regarding the child’s recovery and what to expect both physically and emotionally
• A 20 - 30 minute presentation for the student’s class or grade on the child’s first day back to school
In a case like Jaxon’s, who was returning to kindergarten, Young said the presentation is very basic and briefly covers:
• All of the amazing things our skin does for our body
• Why your skin looks different after a burn injury
• How your friend had a bad burn injury and had to stay in the hospital, but now is doing great
• Having a burn injury doesn’t change who you are on the inside
• Your friend can still do the same fun things, and wants to be included in activities
• It’s alright to ask your friend questions about their burns, but ask permission first. Sometimes they might not want to talk about their burn, and that’s ok
• You can help your friend continue to recover by being a good friend
• Basic fire safety and burn prevention tips
“The school re-entry program is very simple but so important. It helps the child’s classmates better understand what they have been through and how they can help. We take the mystery out of where the child has been and why their skin might look different. This can decrease the amount of staring and questions the child receives when transitioning back to the school environment. It helps them feel empowered to talk about their injury if they want to, or to tell their friends they don’t want to talk about it,” said Stephanie Campbell, MS, RN, CCRN-K, Parkland’s Burn Program Manager.
“Meagan was there the very first day Jaxon was hospitalized and I was surprised he could remember her because of the pain medication,” Sarah McFarland said. “But he did, and Jaxon absolutely loves her. I believe having her with him on his first day back at kindergarten did wonders.”
For more information about services available at Parkland, please visit www.parklandhospital.com.
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