Child Life Specialist - Burn Trauma ICU

Responsibilities

• Affirms patients and facilitates play interactions considering developmental level, interests, capabilities, special concerns, life situations, and stress vulnerability potential related to illness, injury, and health care.
• Documents assessments in interdisciplinary charts when necessary.
• Formulates and revises child life patient care plans to develop appropriate strategies for child life care in collaboration with other health team members.
• Documents implementation of plan on child life documentation form, and when applicable, in patient’s interdisciplinary chart.
• Provides therapeutic child life care for patients/families based on the needs assessment and patient care plan, including medical play activities, psychological preparation, teaching effective coping behaviors, and staying with children through procedures to help implement effective coping behaviors.
• Ensures toys and patient activities are developmentally supportive.
• Provides supportive relationships, emotional support, information, and role modeling to patients and family members to foster appropriate interaction with children in a hospital setting.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates child life care plans and programs to encourage optimum growth, development, and self-esteem of children and adolescents, and to facilitate functional family interactions.
• Fosters social interactions between patients and families to promote parent-to-parent, peer support, and normal social development.
• Maintains a safe and therapeutic patient care environment.
• Maintains age-appropriate supply of therapeutic play materials (e.g., arts, crafts, games, books), evaluates the need for equipment and supplies.
• Participates in continuing education programs and remains updated on advances in child development and programs for hospitalized children; provides interdisciplinary in-service education on child development, child life, and the impact of illness, injury, and health care on patients and families.
• Collaborates with volunteers to coordinate patient interactions/activities.
• Selects, trains, supervises, and evaluates Child Life Assistant I, Child Life Assistant II, Child Life student interns, and volunteers.
• Participates in interdisciplinary rounds and evaluations as a member of the interdisciplinary team.
• Assists in assessing patient/family needs for outpatient psychosocial care and recommends referrals.

Qualifications

• Required: Bachelor's degree in Child Life or related field, or equivalency. One year related experience. Current certification as a Child Life Specialist. Current RQI Healthcare Provider eCredential through the University of Utah Health RQI system. The eCredential is to be obtained within 30 days of hire. Additional license requirements as determined by the hiring department.
• Preferred: Dual certification in Child Life and Recreational Therapy.