Child Life Specialist

Mayo Clinic • Rochester, MN

2d

About The Position

The Child Life Specialist promotes effective coping through play, preparation, education, and self-expression activities. Provides emotional support for families and encourages optimum development of children facing a broad range of challenging experiences, particularly those related to healthcare and hospitalization. Provides information, support and guidance to parents, siblings, and other family members. Plays a vital role in educating caregivers, administrators, and the general public about the needs of children under stress.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in child development, child life, child and family studies or related field
• Completion of eligibility assessment by the Association for Child Life Professionals (ACLP)
• Successful completion of, at minimum, a 480-hour clinical child life internship under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist
• One year of recent work experience with children and families, prefer one year of paid experience as a Child Life Specialist
• Knowledge and experience to ensure understanding of the basic issues of infant/child/adolescent development and behavior
• Analytical skills necessary to assess patient and family needs, to establish a plan of care and deliver appropriate interventions
• Ability to represent and communicate the role of child life to others
• Ability to organize and prioritize work effectively across clinical settings
• Ability to work as a contributing member of the multidisciplinary team
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
• Technical skills to effectively complete required professional documentation and correspondence
• Basic supervisory skills to oversee Child Life program volunteers
• Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) or granted acceptance to take next scheduled exam and attains certification within first year of employment
• Maintains current Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers from one of the following programs: American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or the Military Network Training

Nice To Haves

• One year of paid experience as a Child Life Specialist

What This Job Offers

• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees