Child Life Specialist

RWJBarnabas Health; Lincoln Park (NJ); On-site; USD 56,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

RWJBarnabas Health is seeking a Child Life Specialist in New Brunswick, NJ, within the Recreational Therapy department. The role focuses on therapeutic play, education, and family-centered care to support pediatric patients and families during illness and hospitalization.

The position emphasizes individualized care planning, collaboration with clinical teams, and contributions to patient comfort, coping, and recovery through evidence-based interventions and comprehensive documentation.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Child Life, Early Childhood Education, or a closely related human services field.
• Successful completion of a formal Child Life internship.
• Proven work or volunteer experience directly supporting children with special needs.

Responsibilities

• Designing individualized care by assessing development, coping, play preferences and family dynamics.
• Delivering evidence-based interventions through therapeutic sessions and teaching.
• Collaborating with families, therapists, nurses and physicians for discharge planning.
• Fostering community and milieu by coordinating events and diversional playrooms.
• Ensuring clinical compliance with documentation in the electronic medical record.
• Leading volunteers and interns to maximize unit efficiency and engagement.
• Maintaining operational safety of playrooms and materials.

Skills

Child Life interventions

Team collaboration

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Child Life, Early Childhood Education, or related field

Job description

Job Title: Child Life Specialist

Location: New Brunswick (NB)

Department Name: Recreational Therapy

Req #: 0000265750

Status: Salaried

Shift: Day

Pay Range: $56,300.00 - $70,400.00 per year

Pay Transparency:

The above reflects the anticipated annual salary range for this position if hired to work in New Jersey.

The compensation offered to the candidate selected for the position will depend on several factors, including the candidate's educational background, skills and professional experience.

Our Child Life Specialists work collaboratively within the Recreational Therapy department to meet the therapeutic, educational, and diversional needs of our patients, facilitating a healthy adjustment to illness, disability, and hospitalization. By providing comprehensive, age-appropriate programming and individual treatment plans, our specialists proactively engage pediatric patients and families to minimize distress and foster resiliency. We view our specialists as a critical component of the care team and recognize the incredibly positive impact they have on clinical and developmental outcomes. We hope you are excited by the opportunity to deliver specialized pediatric care in a way that redefines the patient experience through teamwork, compassion, and excellence!

A Typical Day:

• Designing Individualized Care: Assessing children's developmental level, coping skills, play preferences, and family dynamics to implement targeted child life interventions.
• Delivering Evidence-Based Interventions: Conducting individual therapeutic sessions, procedural support, team treatments, and patient-family teaching tailored to a wide variety of age and diagnostic groups.
• Collaborating on Continuity: Partnering with families, therapists, nurses, and physicians during clinical updates, including supporting school re-integration services for discharge planning.
• Fostering Community & Milieu: Coordinating rotating special events throughout the year and managing diversional playrooms to maintain a welcoming, therapeutic environment.
• Ensuring Clinical Compliance: Writing concise, objective, and timely professional assessments and documentation in the electronic medical record according to hospital policy.
• Leading Volunteers & Interns: Effectively utilizing, supervising, and orienting volunteer groups and student interns to maximize unit efficiency and patient engagement.
• Maintaining Operational Safety: Ensuring all playrooms and specialized clinical materials are organized and maintained in a safe, clean, and sanitary manner.

This Role Might Be For You If:

• You Are a Pediatric Advocate: You are deeply passionate about creating and delivering a differentiated healthcare experience for children with special needs and their families.
• You Excel at Adaptability: You enjoy balancing a diverse patient caseload and can seamlessly adapt therapeutic activities to suit a wide variety of complex medical diagnoses.
• You Drive Professional Growth: You actively contribute to personal and hospital development through involvement in research, professional organizations, and presentations to promote best practices.
• You Are a Strong Communicator: You possess the tact, enthusiasm, and professional judgment required to communicate fluidly across multidisciplinary medical teams.
• You Value Documentation Excellence: You take operational pride in logging precise outcome data and meeting strict clinical compliance deadlines.
• You Believe in Compassionate Healing: You understand that long-term recovery and patient comfort are optimized through structured vigilance, deep empathy, and open communication.

To Be Considered:

• Education: Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Child Life, Early Childhood Education, or a closely related human services field.
• Training: Successful completion of a formal Child Life internship.
• Experience: Proven work or volunteer experience directly supporting children with special needs. Physical stamina to lift and maneuver patients or therapeutic equipment is required.
• Certification: Active Child Life Certification is required. Must hold or obtain an active American Heart Association (AHA) BLS Provider Certification.
• License: Must possess a valid Driver's License and maintain the ability to safely drive hospital vehicles.