Child Life Specialist - Per Diem - Days - JDCH

About the role

The primary role is to help infants, children, youth and families cope with the stress and uncertainty of hospitalization. Provides direct patient care utilizing developmentally appropriate therapeutic play, education, preparation and support. Collaborates with the healthcare team to provide social, emotional, and developmental support during a pediatric patient's illness and hospitalization.

Responsibilities

• Develops and/or participates in outreach and educational activities to educate families, staff and the community about issues and services related to ill and hospitalized children.
• Supports patients through difficult tests, procedures and sometimes drastic changes due to chronic or acute illness, treatment and recovery.
• Implements therapeutic play to facilitate healing, coping, mastery, self-expression, creativity, achievement and learning.
• Promotes the role of parents and other family members as full partners on the healthcare team and promotes the philosophy of patient- and family-centered care.
• Orients, trains, and supervises child life students and volunteers.
• Performs developmental and psychosocial assessments of patients.
• Collaborates with the healthcare team to plan appropriate interventions, provides appropriate education to patients and their caregivers, helps reduce patient stress and anxiety, and builds and maintains positive relationships with patients, families, and organizations/groups that support pediatric patients and programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Child Life, child development, Psychology or a related field.
• Six hundred (600) hours internship completion required under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist.
• Must successfully complete the following 10 college/university courses (if degree is not in Child Life):
  • A child life course taught by a CCLS
  • A minimum of two (2) child development courses covering ages birth to 18 years
  • A family system course
  • A play course
  • A loss/bereavement or death/dying course
  • A research course
  • Three (3) additional courses in related content areas (child development, child life, psychology or related field).

Qualifications

• One (1) year of work experience required in related field.
• One (1) year of experience working in a Child Life Program preferred.
• Education requirements: Bachelor's degree in Child Life, child development, Psychology or a related field.
• Must have a BLS American Heart E-Card from the American Heart Association.
• Must have a BLS Cert American Heart non-eCard from the American Heart Association.
• Must have a BLS Cert Red Cross from the Red Cross.
• Must have a BLS GRACE from Employee Grace Period for Essential Credential.
• Must have a BLS Cert Red Cross from the Red Cross.

Skills

• Accountability
• Child Life Development
• Customer Service
• Develops Relationships
• EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
• Patient and Family Centered Care
• RESPONDING TO CHANGE
• STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR

Benefits

N/A

Pay

N/A

Schedule

N/A