Child Life Specialist: 40 hours/week, evening shift

About the role

Child life specialists are uniquely trained pediatric healthcare professionals that provide developmentally appropriate care to meet the individualized needs of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. They collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to achieve the needs of each patient through developing and implementing interventions to help patients and their families cope with their hospital experience.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates developmentally appropriate knowledge and skills necessary to assess and interact with a diverse population of pediatric patients and their families.
• Designs and implements individual interventions based on assessment of a patient's development, coping style, diagnosis/treatment, and psychosocial supports.
• Uses medical play and developmentally appropriate language and teaching tools to ensure adequate preparation for medical interventions and encourage understanding and mastery of diagnosis, medical care and experiences.
• Uses therapeutic/diversional techniques to support patients during treatments and procedures.
• Provides developmentally appropriate play and activities to support normal growth and development.
• Communicates pertinent information concerning patient care at appropriate rounds, with the multidisciplinary team and documentation in patient's medical record.
• Provides bereavement resources and memory making throughout hospital including but not limited to: pediatric units, labor and delivery, neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric and adult emergency departments, and adult intensive care units.
• Provides support and activities to developmentally delayed patients on adult units.
• Supports in-hospital/home tutoring services that reduce loss of educational ground.
• Coordinates and manages on-going practicum students and volunteer program.
• Volunteer program includes pediatric orientation, schedule management, delegated tasks, and managing playroom.
• Planning and facilitating community and holiday events.
• Assesses and coordinates all donations for pediatrics from the community.
• Affords assistance to public relations and the Albany Med Foundation with hospital tours, check presentations and fundraisers.
• Maintains playroom utilized by a diverse pediatric population.
• Completes consultations for the children of adult patients at AMC upon request.
• Participates in unit-based and hospital-wide committees, projects, educational activities, and special events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Child Life, Child Development or related field - required
• Master's Degree in Child Life, Child Development or related field - preferred
• 600-hour Child Life internship under the direct supervision of a certified Child Life Specialist - required
• One year experience in hospital setting - preferred
• Possess the ability to support and work effectively in a family-centered care pediatric unit.
• Ability to work with a multidisciplinary team.
• Demonstrates understanding of and sensitivity to the emotional, psycho-social, developmental, and intellectual needs of pediatric patients and their families.
• Demonstrates basic understanding of: children's behavioral and emotional reactions to hospitalization, illness, bereavement, child growth and development, and family dynamics.
• Computes rate, ratio, and percent.
• Adheres to AM C's policies, procedures and practices, and utilizes AMC's problem-solving processes for resolving grievances or disagreements.
• Identifies problems, collects data, establishes facts, and draws valid conclusions.
• CCLS - Certified Child Life Specialist within 1 Year - required
• Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Physical Demands

• Standing - Constantly
• Walking - Constantly
• Sitting - Rarely
• Lifting - Frequently
• Carrying - Frequently
• Pushing - Occasionally
• Pulling - Occasionally
• Climbing - Occasionally
• Stooping - Frequently
• Kneeling - Frequently
• Crouching - Frequently
• Crawling - Occasionally
• Reaching - Frequently
• Handling - Frequently
• Grasping - Frequently
• Feeling - Constantly
• Talking - Constantly
• Hearing - Constantly
• Repetitive Motions - Constantly
• Eye/Hand/Foot Coordination - Constantly
• Working Conditions - Extreme cold - Rarely, Extreme heat - Rarely, Humidity - Rarely, Wet - Rarely, Noise - Constantly, Hazards - Frequently, Temperature Change - Rarely, Atmospheric Conditions - Rarely, Vibration - Rarely