The Healthy Teddy Clinic: An innovative pediatric clinical experience

Finding pediatric clinical experiences and sites challenges many nursing programs. This article explores an alternative clinical site and method that offer not only a creative and fun pediatric practicum but also excellent learning experiences. The Healthy Teddy Clinic was initiated in a preschool setting in which nursing students use teddy bears to teach health topics to children while the students themselves learn growth and development, therapeutic communication, and how to meet the psychosocial needs of pediatric clients and their families.