Child Life Specialist

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia • Upper Merion Township, PA

1d

About The Position

The Child Life Specialist functions as a member of the healthcare team who practices at the beginner level and is clinically trained on the developmental impact of illness and injury. The Child Life Specialist is responsible for supporting patients and their family members in the health care setting by providing developmentally appropriate and therapeutic interventions with the goals of optimizing growth and development, reducing pain, fear, and anxiety, and to cope with the stress and uncertainty of illness, injury, disability, and loss.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree Required
• Knowledge of infant, child, and adolescent growth and development. (Required proficiency)
• Experience working with infants, children, and adolescents. (Required proficiency)
• Ability to prioritize and complete duties in a timely and organized manner. (Required proficiency)
• Work collaboratively and in a positive manner with others. (Required proficiency)
• Ability to work independent. (Required proficiency)
• Perform work according to CHOP policies and procedures, professional standards of care, and applicable laws. (Required proficiency)
• Ability to set goals, prioritize, and achieve results in accordance with the highest standards.
• Understands and promotes CHOP's mission (Required proficiency)

Nice To Haves

• Master's Degree Child Life, Child Development, Family Studies, Counseling, or Psychology Preferred
• Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) - Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) - upon hire - Preferred

Responsibilities

• Provides child life services to patients and family members, including developmentally appropriate therapeutic play and activities, education, procedural preparation, coping facilitation, and support as it relates to their illness and medical treatment.
• Assesses, individualizes, and evaluates plan of care based on patient/family physical, developmental, emotional, and recreational needs.
• Collaborates with patients, families, and interdisciplinary team members to integrate goals and plans to promote optimal patient care that is family-centered, developmentally appropriate, psychosocially sound, and in alignment with CHOP's ICARE values.
• Participates in the weekday, weekend, and holiday-on-call rotation, as assigned.
• Demonstrates compliance with patient care documentation and Hospital policies.
• Provides training, supervision, and feedback to volunteers and practicum students.
• Participates in tasks, initiatives, and/or committees that support departmental operations and/or enhances one's professional development.
• Serves as a financial steward by implementing cost effective programming, adhering to budget constraints, and supporting efforts to raise funds through donor contributions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level