By NICOLE VALICEK
Dr Clever also known as Carolyn Hanna has made patients smile for the last eight years as a clown doctor. 102755 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI
IN HER role Carolyn Hanna does more than clown around with patients.
The Altona North residents has been employed as a clown doctor also known as “Dr-not-so very Clever” and has enlightened the lives of patients, families and staff for the past eight years.
And she has no intention of switching trades. Mrs Hanna had dabbled in clowning since her twenties before an opportunity to audition for a position as a clown doctor came up.
“I just went ’wow how fantastic to use clown skills in that context’,” she said.
“Hospitals are places that need playfulness and sense of humour.”
After three auditions Carolyn got the job and quickly took on the role as a professional performer, dosing sick children in hospital with fun and laughter.
The Humour Foundation who employed her saw the need to change the atmosphere in a hospital that a clown doctor brings, she said.
“I feel like being a clown doctor. I’m incredibly privileged to see kids in incredibly vulnerable situation being incredibly strong.”
Mrs Hanna works in a number of different hospitals throughout Melbourne including the Children’s Hospital, Monash Medical and hospitals in Geelong and Epping.
A normal day in the life of a clown doctor involves getting in costume and then covering each ward in the hospital.
“To witness resilience of children in the job I do is profound,” she said. “I always leave the job feeling up lifted because of that.”
Dr Clever uses a combination of magic, music, slapstick, physical comedy, pure stupidity, and dance to get the stomach muscles moving.
“We don’t just go in and deal with kids, we deal with families and staff who are equally as stressed sometimes more so,” she said.
“We help fear anxiety loneliness, boredom, especially kids who are long term in hospital or terminally ill.
“We’re not looking at what’s wrong, we’re looking at what’s right with them.”
Mrs Hanna said research has revealed what happens to a body when it releases endorphins from laughing, and that there should be more clown doctors in hospitals spreading the laughter.
“It’s a job for life in terms of you want to keep doing it.”
