Child Life Specialist-Emergency Department-32hr

About the Role

Contributes to a positive hospital experience by providing psychosocial support for pediatric patients and their families to promote optimal cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development of the patient and family during a hospital stay. Reports to Manager of Child & Family Support Services.

Responsibilities

• Assessment & Planning: Assess the coping responses and needs of assigned patients/families to their healthcare experience. Plan and coordinate appropriate developmental, therapeutic, and educational opportunities for the patient and family during the hospital stay, taking into consideration the individuality of each child’s family, culture, and stage of development. Develop and implement activities, resources, and programs to meet patient/family needs.
• Therapeutic Interventions: Minimize stress and anxiety for patients by providing developmentally appropriate opportunities (in activity rooms and at bedside) that encourage expression of feelings and promote a sense of mastery and understanding of healthcare experiences. Maintain appropriate supply of therapeutic materials. Prepare children and families for and provide support during tests, surgeries, or other medical procedures through education, tours, rehearsal, and coping skills development. Promote and support the parental role.
• Essential Life Experience: Provide essential life experiences for children to foster continued growth and development during their hospital stay. Organize play activities, materials, and other experiences at bedside and/or in activity rooms. Coordinate special events in recognition of significant and familiar experiences (e.g., birthdays, holidays, and other family observances). Participate in development and implementation of activities with individuals/community groups involved in interacting with children and their families.
• Health Care Team: Effectively communicate observations, assessments, and recommendations for care to other members of the healthcare team (through verbal and written channels). Accurately document care and services provided following established policies and procedures. Advocate for patient and family needs and activate appropriate services/referrals. Assist in the maintenance of a safe and therapeutic patient care environment. Participate in quality improvement activities and inter-disciplinary teams and committees as assigned.
• Education/Collaboration with Community: Develop and maintain knowledge and understanding of the medical conditions and healthcare experiences of specific patient populations. Develop resources and provide education for medical center staff. May develop and provide education and resources for community providers regarding developmental needs of children. Orient, supervise, and provide input into the evaluation of Child Life students, interns, and hospital volunteers. Participate in continual professional development.
• Bereavement Support: Provide age-appropriate emotional support and education, in collaboration with the healthcare team, for parents and families surrounding issues of end-of-life care, grief, and loss. Facilitate memory-making activities relative to the family’s cultural and traditional practices.
• Sibling Support: Assess the support needs of siblings, both indirectly through parent report and directly through observation and therapeutic interactions. Provide teaching and support regarding surgery and/or procedures, orientation to the hospital environment (e.g., visits to the PICU, NICU), bereavement support, and ongoing assessment/support for siblings of chronic and critically ill patients. Offer support/education to parents and other caregivers regarding both normal behaviors of siblings and those that might indicate a need for further interventions. Offer age-appropriate opportunities for siblings to participate in certain aspects of the hospitalization, such as decorating the patient's room or working on a special project with their hospitalized sibling.

Demonstrates knowledge of the age-related differences and needs of patients in appropriate, specific populations from neonate through adolescence and applies them to practice. Demonstrates cultural sensitivity in all interactions with patients/families. Demonstrates support for the mission, values, and goals of the organization through behaviors consistent with the Connecticut Children's Standard.

Requirements

• Education and/or Experience Required:
  • Bachelor’s degree in Child Life, Child Development, or a directly related field in behavioral sciences or human development.
  • 600-hour Child Life Internship.
• Education and/or Experience Preferred: Master’s degree.
• License and/or Certification Required:
  • Certified Child Life Specialist, issued through Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP), within one year of hire.
  • Nonviolent Crisis Intervention training certification required within one year of hire and maintained thereafter.

Skills

Knowledge of:

• Basic knowledge and understanding of the medical conditions and healthcare experiences of specific patient populations.
• Clinical operations policies and procedures; documentation and patient record policies and standards.
• In-depth knowledge of child development theory and practice.
• Therapeutic play activities and materials; teaching techniques; identification of learning needs and provision of patient/family education.
• Legal and ethical issues related to patient rights.
• Crisis intervention techniques.

Skills:

• Strong interpersonal and communication (verbal and written) skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Basic proficiency in utilization of personal computers in a networked Windows-based healthcare environment to access related software applications; locate, open, edit, and print files and information utilized by the unit; and use of the Internet as a research tool.

Ability to:

• Create effective relationships with individuals of different cultural beliefs and lifestyles.
• Observe, assess, and record symptoms, reactions, and progress.
• Maintain emotional stability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stresses.
• Maintain confidentiality of information.
• Make administrative/procedural decisions and judgments.
• Evaluate the progress of therapeutic programs and make individual modifications.
• Lead and train staff and/or students in child development theory and practice.
• Work within a multidisciplinary team.
• Draw upon experience from pre-admission tours, pre-procedural teaching, pre-operational teaching, playroom programs, play and art therapy, and sibling support.

About Us

Connecticut Children’s is the only health system in Connecticut that is 100% dedicated to children. Established on a legacy that spans more than 100 years, Connecticut Children’s offers personalized medical care in more than 30 pediatric specialties across Connecticut and in two other states. Our transformational growth establishes us as a destination for specialized medicine and enables us to reach more children in locations that are closer to home. Our breakthrough research, superior education and training, innovative community partnerships, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion provide a welcoming and inspiring environment for our patients, families, and team members.

About The Team

Our child life team consists of Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS), child life assistants, and a gaming & technology specialist. Child life is an integral part of the multidisciplinary care team on our inpatient units and in outpatient areas, specializing in reducing the stress and uncertainty patients and families experience in a healthcare setting. Using a developmental approach based in play, our child life specialists guide our patients in understanding their diagnosis and treatment, and in coping with healthcare experiences. The child life team provides a variety of play opportunities and programming to normalize the environment and promote development. We embrace a family-centered care approach and incorporate caregivers and siblings into our interventions and activities. Our goal is to build strong, trusting relationships with our patients, families, and each other. We pride ourselves on our talented, warm, and friendly team and look forward to welcoming a new team member!