Child Life Specialist - Multiple Openings + Bonus

Children's Hospital & Medical Center•Omaha, NE

About The Position

Children's is hiring Child Life Specialists for multiple openings, with a $2,000 hiring bonus and relocation offered. Opportunities include an Adaptive Care focus, a Facility Dog Handler role in the Behavioral Health & Wellness Center, and an Inpatient/Specialty Pediatric Clinic role. Child Life Specialists provide therapeutic, educational, and recreational programming for patients, and plan developmentally appropriate activities that promote normal growth and development while supporting the psychosocial needs of patients and families during testing, treatment, or hospitalization. The Facility Dog Handler role delivers an animal-assisted therapy program to support children's emotional, developmental, and social needs, and offers play and learning experiences that encourage mastery and family and peer interaction. The role assesses patients' developmental and emotional states, provides developmentally appropriate and medically accurate education, advocates for patients and families with healthcare professionals, and documents care. It supports therapeutic play, family involvement, coping, and communication tailored to patients' development, family systems, and cultural backgrounds. Child Life Specialists coordinate services with families and professionals; support orientation, education, outreach, school re-entry, and support groups; and provide a safe learning environment for interns and practicum students. They maintain safe, clean, age-appropriate play areas and follow infection-control and safety procedures. They keep current with Child Life developments and apply relevant trends and best practices.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Child Life, Child Development, Psychology, or a related field.
Successful completion of an internship meeting the standards of the Association of Child Life Specialists before hire; applicants in the final stages of internship are encouraged to apply.
Clinical internship of at least 600 hours under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist.
Certified Child Life Specialist credential required within two years.
Basic Life Support certification from the American Heart Association required upon hire.
Experience with healthy and hospitalized children, generally acquired through field experience and a qualifying Child Life internship.
Interpersonal skills to establish professional rapport with patients and families, and assertiveness to advocate effectively for them.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience in a hospital setting as a Child Life Specialist.

Responsibilities

Assess patients' developmental and emotional states using formal and informal techniques.
Use developmentally appropriate, medically accurate teaching aids and techniques to increase knowledge and support emotional needs.
Advocate for patients and families by communicating important information to healthcare professionals and ancillary services.
Write concise, objective, and accurate clinical notes in a timely manner.
Facilitate interaction among patients, siblings, and parents.
Use therapeutic play to help children gain mastery and cope with healthcare experiences.
Incorporate family involvement into care and identify family needs and perspectives.
Communicate with patients and families using knowledge of human growth and development, family systems, and cultural background.
Seek appropriate or alternative approaches to care that may minimize the impact of healthcare experiences.
Communicate and coordinate with other professionals, integrating theory and evidence-based practice and respecting their viewpoints.
Promote Child Life services within the department and coordinate or participate in educational programs about those services.
Participate in new employee orientation.
Coordinate school re-entry programs, support groups, outreach programs, and pre-operative preparation education as needed.
Provide a safe learning environment for intern and practicum students.
Participate in the volunteer program and assist with modifying its processes as needed.
Adapt teaching based on verbal and nonverbal cues, patient knowledge, misconceptions, previous experiences, and sociocultural learning needs.
Provide relevant educational information to groups within the hospital and community.
Maintain safe, orderly, child-friendly play areas and ensure toys are appropriate, clean, and in good condition.
Follow infection-control and safety procedures and policies.
Maintain current knowledge of Child Life development, trends, and techniques; incorporate trends and best practices into care; and identify professional development resources and opportunities.
For the Adaptive Care opening, focus on patients who need or have an Adaptive Care Plan.
For the Facility Dog Handler opening, provide an animal-assisted therapy program supporting children's emotional, developmental, and social needs.