Child Life Specialist - Per Diem - Days - JDCH
About The Position
The Child Life Specialist helps infants, children, youth, and families cope with the stress and uncertainty of illness, medical procedures, and hospitalization. The role provides direct patient care through developmentally appropriate therapeutic play, education, preparation, and support, and collaborates with the healthcare team to address pediatric patients’ social, emotional, and developmental needs during illness and hospitalization. The position requires critical thinking, decisive judgment, the ability to work with minimal supervision, and appropriate action in a stressful environment. It requires a bachelor’s degree in Child Life, child development, psychology, or a related field, completion of a 600-hour internship under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist, and one year of related work experience. One year of experience working in a Child Life Program is preferred. If the degree is not in Child Life, the candidate must have completed the specified college or university coursework in child life, child development, family systems, play, loss or bereavement, research, and related content areas.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Child Life, child development, psychology, or a related field.
- Completion of 600 internship hours under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist.
- One year of work experience in a related field.
- If the degree is not in Child Life, completion of a child life course taught by a Certified Child Life Specialist; at least two child development courses covering birth through age 18; a family systems course; a play course; a loss/bereavement or death/dying course; a research course; and three additional courses in related content areas.
- BLS certification from an accepted provider or program, as listed: American Heart Association BLS e-Card, American Heart Association BLS RQI e-Card, American Heart Association BLS non-e-Card, Grace-period BLS certification, or Red Cross BLS certification.
- Critical thinking skills, decisive judgment, and the ability to work with minimal supervision.
- Ability to work in a stressful environment and take appropriate action.
Nice To Haves
- One year of experience working in a Child Life Program.
Responsibilities
- Implements therapeutic play to facilitate healing, coping, mastery, self-expression, creativity, achievement, and learning.
- Supports patients through difficult tests and procedures and through changes related to chronic or acute illness, treatment, and recovery.
- Develops and/or participates in outreach and educational activities for families, staff, and the community about issues and services related to ill and hospitalized children.
- Performs developmental and psychosocial assessments of patients.
- Collaborates with the healthcare team to plan appropriate interventions and provide education to patients and caregivers.
- Helps reduce patient stress and anxiety.
- Builds and maintains positive relationships with patients, families, and organizations or groups that support pediatric patients and programs.
- Orients, trains, and supervises child life students and volunteers.
- Promotes parents and other family members as full partners on the healthcare team and supports patient- and family-centered care.
