Child Life Specialist

St. Joseph's Health • Paterson, NJ

6d

About The Position

The Child Life Specialist helps reduce the stress and anxiety caused by illness and hospitalization for pediatric patients and their families. The specialist supports coping during a hospital stay and/or illness through therapeutic play activities, education, and psychosocial support. The role works collaboratively with the medical, nursing, and interdisciplinary teams to help normalize the hospital environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Child Life, Child Development, Psychology, or a closely related field.
• One to two years of prior experience in Child Life.
• Certified Child Life Specialist certification through the Association for Child Life Professionals, with continuous maintenance of certification.
• BLS (Basic Life Support) certification, or achievement of certification within six months of hire.
• Ability to resolve complex problems using basic scientific, mathematical, or technical principles and in-depth, experience-based knowledge.
• Ability to educate patients and families or perform other duties requiring a comparable level of communication skill.
• Effective January 2019, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) employee certifications must be granted through the American Heart Association.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Help pediatric patients and families cope with hospitalization and/or illness.
• Provide therapeutic play activities, education, and psychosocial support.
• Collaborate with medical, nursing, and interdisciplinary teams to normalize the hospital environment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time