Child Life Specialist - Inpatient Pediatric/PICU (30 hrs/wk)
Job Summary
The Child Life Specialist I ("Specialist") is a key member of the pediatric healthcare team. The Specialist, under general supervision, works in a health care setting focusing on the emotional and developmental needs of children and their families. The Specialist reduces stress associated with the health care experience and enables a child and their family to cope by providing play experiences, presenting medical information in a way that children can understand, and encouraging family involvement in the child's medical care.
Why This Role Matters
As Colorado’s leading safety-net health system, Denver Health serves a diverse community and provides essential care to those who need it most. In this role, you’ll make a meaningful impact every day—helping children and families cope, heal, and thrive through some of life’s most challenging moments.
Essential Functions
Develops a plan of care including interventions to address the needs of the child and family.
Utilizing a family-centered care approach to ensure the patient and family’s individual, cultural, and social needs are met and to provide developmentally appropriate education and support to other children in the family to help them cope with a family member in the hospital.
Provides psychological preparation to children prior to undergoing medical procedures using expressive/medical play and other techniques to minimize stress or fears related to medical procedures.
Uses normative and/or therapeutic play opportunities to encourage expression of feelings, process difficult events, explore positive coping skills, promote a sense of mastery and understanding of health care experiences, and to minimize stress associated with health care experiences.
Maintains a supportive and nurturing environment for children and families during hospitalization.
Communicates effectively with patients, families, and interdisciplinary team members to ensure clear understanding and implementation of care plans.
Assesses the patient’s current developmental level and provides interventions to enhance development.
Completes Psychosocial Risk Assessment in Pediatrics to evaluate and mitigate pediatric medical traumatic stress.
Documents services in patient chart. Updates documentation as care plans change.
Selects and maintains program materials related to the Child Life role including but not limited to both developmental & normative toys/items, distraction items, and technology.
Supervises volunteers and others participating in the Child Life Program.
Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree required.
Two years of experience as a Certified Child Life Specialist in a hospital setting is highly preferred.
CCLS-Certified Child Life Specialist - ACLP - Association of Child Life Professionals required or eligible for CCLS certification.
BLS-Basic Life Support (BLS/CPR) - AHA - American Heart Association required.
Pay and Schedule
$53,300.00 - $74,600.00 / yr (Pay range listed is for 0.75 full-time equivalent (FTE). See Work Type for actual FTE)
Shift: Days (United States of America)
Work Type: Regular
Benefits: At Denver Health, we take care of the people who take care of our community. Our benefits are built to support your life, your family, and your future — with generous paid time off, fully paid parental leave, exceptional retirement contributions, comprehensive health coverage, and nationally recognized well-being programs. We invest in your growth through tuition assistance, career advancement pathways, and professional development — while also offering meaningful financial advantages through loan forgiveness eligibility and employer contributions. When you join Denver Health, you’re joining a mission-driven organization that invests in you. Here Is a Small List Of Our Benefit Programs
- Paid time off starting at 28 days per year, inclusive of vacation, personal/sick, and 7 Holidays
- 100% paid parental leave up to 6 weeks
- Immediate eligibility for retirement plans with employer contribution up to 9.5%
- Comprehensive medical, dental, vision plans in addition to employer paid disability and life insurance.
- Comprehensive well-being programs including on-site employee fitness center located on Denver Health main campus and nationally recognized RESTORE Center
- Free RTD EcoPass (public transportation)
- Childcare discount programs & exclusive perks on large brands, travel, and more
- Tuition reimbursement & assistance
- Education, coaching, and professional development opportunities through the Workforce Development Center (WFDC) that support internal career growth and advancement pathways
- Professional clinical advancement program & shared governance
- National Health Service Corps (NHCS) and Colorado Health Service Corps (CHSC) eligible employer+ free student loan coaching and assistance navigating the PSLF program