Child Life Specialist

Baylor Scott & White Health; Killeen (TX); On-site; USD 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Baylor Scott & White Health in Texas seeks a Child Life Specialist to support pediatric patients and families emotionally, socially, and developmentally, enhancing care during illness, injury, and bereavement. The role emphasizes therapeutic play, coping strategies, and collaboration with a multidisciplinary team to create developmentally appropriate activities and supportive environments.

As part of a nonprofit health system, the position offers benefits and opportunities to contribute to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Less than 1 year of experience.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification within 30 days of hire.
• Cert Child Life Specialist (CCLS) or certification within 1 year of hire.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychosocial care to pediatric patients and families.
• Deliver therapeutic medical play and preparation sessions with patients and families.
• Provide emotional support and coping strategies related to illness, injury, end-of-life, and bereavement.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and educate volunteers, students, and staff about child life concepts.
• Coordinate and plan patient events and activities as needed.

Education

Bachelor's

Job description

About Us

Here at Baylor Scott & White Health we promote the well-being of all individuals, families, and communities. Baylor Scott and White is the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas that empowers you to live well.

About Us

Here at Baylor Scott & White Health we promote the well-being of all individuals, families, and communities. Baylor Scott and White is the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas that empowers you to live well.

Core Values Are

• We serve faithfully by doing what's right with a joyful heart.
• We never settle by constantly striving for better.
• We are in it together by supporting one another and those we serve.
• We make an impact by taking initiative and delivering exceptional experience.

Benefits

Our benefits are designed to help you live well no matter where you are on your journey. For full details on coverage and eligibility, visit the Baylor Scott & White Benefits Hub to explore our offerings, which may include:

• Immediate eligibility for health and welfare benefits
• 401(k) savings plan with dollar-for-dollar match up to 5%
• Tuition Reimbursement
• PTO accrual beginning Day 1

Note: Benefits may vary based upon position type and/or level.

Job Summary

The Child Life Specialist will support pediatric patients and families emotionally, socially, and developmentally. They will enhance care quality during illness or injury, including end of life and bereavement.

Essential Functions Of The Role

• Works to provide psychosocial care and advocate for pediatric patients. Ensures they receive medical care under optimal and positive circumstances.
• Provides therapeutic medical play and preparation sessions with patients and families. These sessions effectively build knowledge of medical procedures and coping strategies.
• Provides therapeutic opportunities for patients to express and understand feelings related to medical experiences, illness, or handicaps.
• Provides emotional support to families and patients through various interventions. Promotes acceptance of and coping with illness and medical encounters. Participates in planning safe, developmentally supportive environments for patients and families professionally.
• Provides age and developmentally appropriate activities that effectively promote the cognitive and emotional growth of patients.
• Functions as an effective member of multidisciplinary teams to improve the medical experience of patients and families. Communicates relevant patient observations to the health care team in written and verbal formats. Provides orientation and teaching of Child Life concepts to volunteers, medical, and nursing students as opportunities arise.
• Coordinates and plans special events for patients (i.e., birthday parties, celebrity visitors, etc.), as needed.

Key Success Factors

• Possesses expansive knowledge of child development, child life theory and evidence-based practice, and childhood trauma and grief and therapeutic interventions.
• Demonstrates exceptional verbal and non-verbal communication skills. This includes appropriate language, facial expressions, listening, emotional regulation, empathy, social awareness, relationship management, self-awareness, affective matching, and presentation skills.
• Displays cultural expertise and respects patients, families, and medical staff with diverse spiritual, ethnic, language, educational, and socio-economic differences.
• Possesses effective time-management and prioritization skills for all child life tasks. Shows comfort and confidence working with minimal supervision.
• Proactively seeks out opportunities to give education to medical staff about child life services.
• Advocates for the psychosocial well-being of children. Manages the intense emotional stress when working with children and families facing serious illness, injury, end-of-life, death, and bereavement.
• Possesses excellent documentation skills with appropriate verbiage, punctuation, spelling, and professional tone.
• Cert Child Life Specialist (CCLS) OR obtain certification within 3 months of hire.

Belonging Statement

We believe that all people should feel welcomed, valued and supported.

Qualifications

• EDUCATION - Bachelor's
• EXPERIENCE - Less than 1 Year of Experience

Certification/license/registration

• Basic Life Support (BLS): BLS or BLS within 30 days of hire or transfer.
• Cert Child Life Specialist (CCLS): Cert Child Life Specialist (CCLS) OR obtain certification within 1 year of hire.