Child Life Specialist Emergency Department

Job Description:

Interacts directly with pediatric patients, families and other health team members and facilitates age-appropriate interactions and activities to help make the health care experience easier for patients and families. Reduces patient and family distress, increases effective patient and family coping, fosters patient independence, and promotes optimum development. Provides supervision to volunteers, child life pre-internship students and child life assistants. Click on the video link below to see "A Day in the Life of a Child Life Specialist" Posting Specifics 

• Pay Rate: Based on experience.

• Shift Details: Full-time (40 hrs/wk) This position will work four 10 hour days.

• Department: Emergency Dept at Utah Valley Hospital.

• Additional Details: Primary role is supporting pediatric patients in the Emergency Department. Utah Valley Hospital is a community hospital setting. Role would also help support children of adult patients on ICU.    

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution. Degree will be verified. 

• Documentation of a successfully completed 600-hour internship supervised by a Child Life Specialist 

• Child Life Certification from Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) is required within 15 months of hire.

• Experience with pediatric patients in a medical, hospital or behavioral health setting 

• Experience in Child Life Core Competencies which include but are not limited to 1) Establishing supportive relationships 2) Meeting needs of child and family members, with a focus on social, emotional, and cognitive development. 3) Providing education to and communicating with children, families, and team members 4) Providing coping support and comfort management 5) Guiding children in therapeutic play techniques 6) Ongoing assessment and written documentation of clinical care  

• Computer experience in word processing, spreadsheets, and databases or similar applications. 

Essential Functions 

• Accurately assesses, prioritizes, and documents pediatric patient and family care 

• Develops, implements, and evaluates effective pediatric patient and family centered health care plans 

• Provides developmentally appropriate education, psychological procedural preparation, coping support, comfort management, and play opportunities, to pediatric patients and families 

• Participates in selection, supervision, and training of new hires, students and volunteers 

• Provides education for staff (e.g., in-services, newsletter articles, etc.) 

• Assists with community outreach and Foundation partnerships 

• Adheres to Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) Child Life Code of Ethics 

• Meets requirements outlined in child life department expectations 

 

Skills 

• Pediatrics 

• Training and mentoring 

• Writing documentation  

• Communication 

• Relationship building 

• Taking initiative 

• Critical thinking 

• Teamwork 

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