Requirements:

Experience: Minimum required: Child Life internship | Preferred: Child Life Fellowship
Education: Bachelor's Degree required at minimum; Education in child life, child development, psychology, and related fields
Certification: Eligible to sit for Child Life Council Certification exam
Training: Hands-on training in child life

Job Responsibilities

• Participates in consultation, education and interdepartmental communication with other members of the healthcare team. Effectively communicates patient/family needs to health care team using chart documentation, multidisciplinary rounds, and verbal reports. Assists senior staff in developing and providing educational in services for the healthcare team throughout the system. Utilizes professional communication that is proactive and respectful to establish and maintain effective relationships with co-workers. Attends weekly child life staff meetings and uses information provided to enhance communication and patient outcomes. Participates in the development and execution of department goals. Models child-friendly practices to staff and offers education when needed to improve the level of child-friendliness. Participates in team meetings and discussions regarding patient/family care.
• Provides child life services for all pediatric patients, sibling and family support and interventions. Provides one-to-one support and helps patient cope with stresses of hospitalization. Develops individual program of activities. Makes clinical decisions in collaboration with health care team based on theoretical knowledge and baseline clinical experience (measured by patient satisfaction scores, length of stay data, and the child life database). Seeks advice from senior staff when needed. Initiates collaboration with health care team to provide developmentally appropriate procedural teaching for all patients and families. Demonstrates ability to be flexible with chosen intervention strategies to adapt to the needs of patients/families. Incorporates knowledge of cultural diversity and competence when providing services to patients and families. Identifies patient and family learning needs and any barriers to teaching. Uses resources available to adapt to their needs. Communicates needs to the entire healthcare team. Differentiates between therapeutic and non-therapeutic relationships and maintains therapeutic boundaries. Utilizes educational materials and contributes to the development of new educational materials/methods of teaching for both patient/family and staff. Proactively provides parent education to decrease anxiety, promote positive coping, and improve patient outcomes as measured by patient satisfaction scores. Provides environment of patient safety, by adhering to all Joint Commission mandates, developing quality improvement initiatives to improve patient safety.
• Policy Development: Assists in establishing policies, procedure, goals and a statement of purpose. Assists in facilitating the utilization of community groups, entertainment, celebrity visitors and public relations program within the community. Identifies areas of improvement, offer suggestions for change, and works closely with the Director of Child Life Services and senior staff. Maintains CLC Child Life Certification. Seeks out opportunities for personal educational development to meet the demands of the changing professional practice.
• Resource Allocation: Assists in establishing guidelines for and managing donations. Utilizes resources appropriately within the parameters of the child life budget and under the guidance of the Director of Child Life. Orient, supervise, support, and prudently utilize pediatric volunteers. Participates in at least 2 community outreach events per year.