220: Know EXACTLY When Rounds is Happening with Q-Rounds with Dr. Michael Pitt
Release Date: 05/29/2024
Autism, Advocacy and the Power of a Medical ID Bracelet
Child Life On Call | Medical, Parenting, Healthcare, Grief, Trauma, Pediatrics, Coping Skills, Community & Support
Tara Cohen opens up about her son Will’s autism diagnosis and how it transformed her family and career. From navigating meltdowns to discovering AAC as a communication lifeline, Tara shares her honest reflections on parenting, resilience, and hope. What began as a search for a medical ID bracelet led to a career at —where she now helps other families feel safe and supported. This heartfelt episode reminds caregivers that advocacy grows from love and that even small acts of compassion can make a life-changing difference. Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 03:10 – Early diagnosis...
info_outline
When Your Baby is Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes: Marlee's Story
Child Life On Call | Medical, Parenting, Healthcare, Grief, Trauma, Pediatrics, Coping Skills, Community & Support
“My baby went from fussy to lifeless in hours—by the time we reached the PICU, they said he might have had six hours to live.” In this episode, TikTok Influencer and Medical Mom , a pediatric speech-language pathologist turned full-time mom, shares the whirlwind diagnosis of her 12-month-old son Bain with Type 1 diabetes and severe DKA, the traumatic hospital stay, and the everyday advocacy that followed. Raw, practical, and deeply hopeful. Why this episode matters Emotional clarity: what a Type 1 diagnosis really feels like in infancy Practical advocacy: scripts, choices, and...
info_outline
Brain Surgery for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: Managing Infantile Spasms
Child Life On Call | Medical, Parenting, Healthcare, Grief, Trauma, Pediatrics, Coping Skills, Community & Support
Join us for an incredibly candid and informative conversation with Audrey Vernick, a passionate advocate and the Director of Patient and Family Advocacy for the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Alliance. Audrey shares the powerful 21-year journey of her son, Bennett, who suffered a stroke in utero and was later diagnosed with the catastrophic epilepsy known as Infantile Spasms. Audrey recounts the emotional process from the difficult labor and early concerns dismissed as normal reflexes, to the terrifying moment she saw his MRI and realized half of his brain was black due to a massive stroke. This...
info_outline
Speech Therapy at Home: Expert Tips to Help Your Child Communicate
Child Life On Call | Medical, Parenting, Healthcare, Grief, Trauma, Pediatrics, Coping Skills, Community & Support
"The excitement that the kids feel when they are seeing you... and they know today's session with Ms. Luba and they can't wait to see you." - Luba Kaplan When a child enters the medical system, parents often meet many specialists beyond doctors and nurses, including Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP). These professionals are vital members of the healthcare team, doing more than just helping with speech. SLPs, as Luba Kaplan explains, also explains how they look at every area of the child's development to ensure children are being fully supported. In this episode, we introduce Luba Kaplan, a...
info_outline
Type 1 Diabetes: Finding Community and Humor After Diagnosis
Child Life On Call | Medical, Parenting, Healthcare, Grief, Trauma, Pediatrics, Coping Skills, Community & Support
When Stacey’s toddler was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, her family’s world turned upside down. In this episode, she shares the early warning signs, the struggle of those first two weeks of injections, and how humor and community turned fear into resilience. Parents will gain hope, advocacy tips, and coping strategies for managing a chronic illness diagnosis. What You’ll Hear How Stacey recognized the 4 Ts of diabetes: Thirsty, Tired, Thinner, Toilet The reality of hospitalization, finger sticks, and injections with a toddler Coping strategies: medical play, humor, and...
info_outline
NICU Stay, Down Syndrome, and Infant Loss: A Grief Journey
Child Life On Call | Medical, Parenting, Healthcare, Grief, Trauma, Pediatrics, Coping Skills, Community & Support
In this incredibly personal and moving episode, we sit down with Teejay and Jon, the authors of the gentle children's book , to share the full, raw story of their daughter, Nadiya. Their journey began with an unexpected connection—a transatlantic online romance between Teejay in Australia and Jon in Canada—that quickly turned into a marriage grounded in a shared life and purpose. With Teejay's extensive background in early childhood development and their experience fostering a young man with Down syndrome, they felt prepared when Nadiya was diagnosed with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) early...
info_outline
Choosing the Best Children's Hospital: Why Rankings Matter (with Ben Harder)
Child Life On Call | Medical, Parenting, Healthcare, Grief, Trauma, Pediatrics, Coping Skills, Community & Support
Is the "best" hospital just about technology and surgical success? Ben Harder, the journalist who oversees the methodology and data for the U.S. News Best Children's Hospitals Rankings (2025), joins Katie to break down what truly defines quality in pediatric care. Ben shares his deeply personal family story—a tragedy 50 years in the past that drives his commitment to making data-driven information accessible today. This episode is a crucial guide for parents, explaining the three core pillars of the rankings: structure/resources, processes of care, and patient outcomes. We dive into why...
info_outline
Heart Transplant for Children: A Mother and Son Face Danon Disease Together
Child Life On Call | Medical, Parenting, Healthcare, Grief, Trauma, Pediatrics, Coping Skills, Community & Support
Psychologist and heart-transplant recipient Dr. Brittany Clayborne shares how her own medical journey prepared her to guide her son Micah through sudden heart failure, an LVAD, and a life-saving transplant. She unpacks the family’s rare Danon’s disease diagnosis, post-transplant cancer (PTLD), and the everyday realities after transplant—meds, setbacks, and hope. You’ll learn Dr. Brittany’s BRAVE framework for hard moments, how rituals sustain connection during long hospital stays, and how Micah turned his experience into action with Transplant Teens and My Brave Journal. This...
info_outline
Bone Marrow Transplant for Sickle Cell: One Family's Cure Story
Child Life On Call | Medical, Parenting, Healthcare, Grief, Trauma, Pediatrics, Coping Skills, Community & Support
In this episode of Child Life On Call, guest Maite Rodriguez shares her daughter Alessia’s inspiring journey with sickle cell disease (SCD)—from diagnosis at birth and painful crises to finding a cure through a pediatric bone marrow transplant at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Maite discusses the challenges of long-term treatments like hydroxyurea, the emotional toll of hospitalizations, and her family’s decision to pursue IVF to create a genetic match. She also introduces her bilingual children’s book, , which helps families explain sickle cell to children, siblings, and communities....
info_outline
How One Mom Navigated her daughter’s Severe Food Allergies (271)- Susanna's Story
Child Life On Call | Medical, Parenting, Healthcare, Grief, Trauma, Pediatrics, Coping Skills, Community & Support
From “colic” that never eased to four pages of confirmed allergens, Susanna Peace Lovell recounts the first years of parenting her daughter, Arizona—years marked by nonstop crying, full-body eczema, and relentless advocacy. When a hypoallergenic formula finally brought relief around 18–19 months, Susanna could breathe—and begin reframing motherhood with compassion for her child and herself. She shares practical allergy survival tips (from table toppers to EpiPens), how autism diagnosis informed self-advocacy, and why community through We Are Brave Together mattered. This conversation...
info_outlineEpisode Description:
Join Katie Taylor, CCLS in this episode as she talks with Dr. Michael Pitt the founder of Q-Rounds and a compassionate pediatrician (and magician!) dedicated to enhancing doctor-patient communication.
As a child life specialist, Katie understands how crucial it is for families to not only be present during rounds but also to feel empowered and actively engaged in discussing the care plan with their team. When she learned about Q-Rounds, she knew she had to share this innovative approach with her parent and child life community.
Dr. Mike shares his insights on how healthcare professionals can better connect with their patients and the impact of these interactions on the overall healthcare experience. From amusing anecdotes with medical students to practical tips for introducing oneself to patients, Dr. Mike's stories and advice are both enlightening and entertaining.
-
Dr Mike's Focys on Enhancing Doctor-Patient Communication:
- Dr. Mike discusses his research on effective communication in healthcare, including a study conducted at the state fair on how patients prefer their doctors to introduce themselves.
- Q-Rounds Launching in Children's Hospitals
-
- Exciting news! Q-Rounds, a virtual queue that sends real-time notifications to patients, families, nurses, and other stakeholders of when to arrive for rounds and gives families the opportunity to join virtually if they can’t be there in person, is now being deployed in children's hospitals, with Dr. Mike at the forefront of this initiative.
Parent Stories Matter
If you enjoyed this episode, we encourage you to listen to more CLOC episodes where we highlight the experiences of parents navigating the healthcare system. Each story offers valuable perspectives and practical advice on supporting and empowering families during their healthcare journeys.
When parents feel empowered, everyone wins – kids thrive and the care team excels!
- 85% of users report high satisfaction, appreciating the Child Life On Call App’s comprehensive resources and user-friendly interface.
- 92% of parent users say the Child Life On Call App helped them understand medical procedures and treatment better.
- 80% of parents believe the Child Life On Call App has contributed to better health outcomes for their child.
- 73% of parent users believe the Child Life On Call App has made them feel more empowered to advocate for their child in healthcare
Learn more here.
Meet the host:
Katie Taylor is the co-founder and CEO of Child Life On Call, a digital platform designed to provide parents, kids, and the care team with access to child life services tools and resources. She is a certified child life specialist with over 13 years of experience working in various pediatric healthcare settings. Katie is the author of the children's book, and has presented on the topics of child life and entrepreneurship, psychosocial care in the hospital, and supporting caregivers in the NICU setting both nationally and internationally. She is also the host of the Child Life On Call Podcast which features interviews with parents discussing their experiences throughout their child's medical journey. The podcast emphasizes the crucial role of child life services in enabling caregivers both at and beyond the bedside.