Child Life Specialist - Part Time

125 Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation; Park Ridge (IL); On-site; USD 53,000 - 79,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid time off

Educational Assistance Program

Job summary

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital seeks a Part-time Certified Child Life Specialist to support pediatric patients and families through therapeutic play, education, and coping strategies during hospital care.

Role involves planning activities, coordinating with interdisciplinary teams, and guiding interns/volunteers. Requires ACLP certification within 6 months and a bachelor’s degree in Child Life/Development.

Qualifications

• Certified Child Life Specialist within 6 months of hire.
• Bachelor’s degree in Child Life/Child Development or related field.
• Completion of ACLP approved child life internship and experience in health care setting.

Responsibilities

• Support children and families using developmentally appropriate therapeutic play.
• Plan and implement activities for children and adolescents in hospital.
• Educate staff on pediatric-friendly care to minimize trauma.
• Coordinate events with donors and community partners.
• Provide patient/family support and connect to resources as needed.
• Supervise student interns and volunteers in Child Life and Education.

Skills

Communication skills

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Empathy

Patient-centered care

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Child Life/Child Development

ACLP internship completion

Job description

Department: 35133 Advocate Lutheran General Hospital - Child Life Creative Arts Therapies and Education Status: Part time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hours Per Week: 20 Schedule Details/Additional Information: Day Shift - Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Fridays Pay Range: $25.30 - $37.95

Major Responsibilities:

• Allows for normalization within the hospital environment through therapeutic play interactions and various activities.
• Plan and implement special activities for children and adolescents.
• Develop supportive relationships with children, adolescents, and families.
• Provides direct patient and family interactions and support in areas of expertise, including growth and development, sibling support and bereavement.
• Provide patient and families with available resources.
• Establish and facilitate support groups.
• Prepares children and families for treatments and procedures and accompany throughout (when appropriate) in order to enhance coping and minimize medical trauma.
• This may include but is not limited to medical play, preparation, support, distraction, and post procedural support.
• Advocate for pain management and comfort measures.
• Educate staff on developmentally appropriate ways to administer medical treatment in a pediatric friendly way to minimize medical trauma.
• Promotes and facilitates patient/family and interdisciplinary communication using written and verbal techniques to facilitate effective patient/family care, professional relationships and to identify issues or concerns.
• Participates in interdisciplinary rounds and individual patient care conferences.
• Performs skills safely and independently according to the established policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines to accommodate individual patient/family needs and responses.
• Responsible for personal growth and development.
• Participates in conferences, classes or other professional training to enhance skillset and maintain certification as a Certified Child Life Specialist.
• Coordinates, plans, and implements events with patients and families to ensure typical development and enhance coping while receiving medical treatment.
• Partners with Public Affairs and Marketing and Advocate Charitable Foundation to coordinate and implement special events with donors and community partners in order to develop, nurture and maintain relationships.
• Maintain all in-kind donations and utilize restricted funding per donor intent.
• Manages delivery and storage of all in-kind donations, toys, and supplies.

SUPERVISORY/MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Interview, select, orient, and supervise student interns and volunteers in Child Life, Creative Arts Therapies, and Education Department. Provide orientation to specific units and ongoing training for volunteers and child life interns during assignment to specific unit/area. Provide guidance, direction, and feedback for volunteers and child life student interns. Report to Internship/Volunteer Coordinator(s) for assignments with volunteers and student interns.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

License/Registration/Certification: Certified Child Life Specialist within 6 months year of hire.

Issued by (Governing Body): Association for Child Life Professionals (ACLP)

Level of Education: Bachelor’s degree in Child Life/Child Development or a directly related field

Field of Study (if applicable): Child Life/Child Development or a directly related field

Years of Experience: Completion of ACLP approved child life internship and experience with all age groups

Describe Type Experience: Health Care Setting

MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSA)

Ability to function in a multidisciplinary environment while providing direct patient/family care.

Ability to establish supportive relationships with children and their families and maintain rapport.

Experience and comfort working with hospitalized children, patients diagnosed with mental illness, developmental delay, and/or who display challenging behaviors in individual and group contexts.

Ability to adapt interventions to meet the needs of patients with special needs.

Experience and/or comfort working with patients and families during critical illness and at end of life.

Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served (typically 0-21 years).

Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient’s status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient’s requirements relative to his/her age-specific and/or developmentally appropriate needs.

Understanding, supportive, and empathetic to individual needs of a diverse patient/family population.

Strong PC skills and understanding of current technologies utilized in the medical setting.

Works safely and efficiently under stressful and difficult situations.

Resilient and flexible in an ever changing environment.

Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal).

Assessment skills, organizational skills, and knowledge on how to prioritize patients.

Proven leadership skills, ability to prioritize in a fast paced and high demand setting, and strong organizational skills.

Strong interpersonal and communication skills as demonstrated through establishing and maintaining positive relationships with patients, parents, donors, and other team members.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS

This position may require travel, therefore, will be exposed to weather and road conditions. Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job. Must be able to sit, stand, walk, squat, bend, and reach above shoulders and twist. Exposed to a normal office environment. Required contact with patients, families, AAH staff members in all departments, intern students, volunteers, representatives from community groups and agencies, professionals from other health care institutions, and professional organizations. Contact with patients with infectious diseases, which requires special protective equipment, training and adherence to prescribed rules and procedures to prevent and spread infection. This position falls into a fast-paced, rapidly and constantly changing environment. May be required to lift up to 25 lbs without assistance or lift over 25 lbs with assistance. This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties.

Our Commitment to You:

• Compensation Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training
• Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job
• Incentive pay for select positions
• Opportunity for annual increases based on performance
• Benefits and more
• Paid Time Off programs
• Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program
• Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.; please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview.)

About Advocate Health

Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

This is Transformation One shared purpose brought us together. Now, as one of the 10 largest not-for-profit, integrated health systems in the United States, our combined strength and stability drives us forward. Starting with You Caring for nearly 3 million people has inspired a transformation. One in which the patient’s experience guides our vision and empowers us to offer new possibilities in our communities.

Reshaping Access What is access? It’s offering more sites of care than any other health system in the Midwest. But there’s a new frontier. Access is exploring the latest technologies to deliver care to patients exactly where they are and exactly when they need it

Inspiring Professionals With our dynamically inclusive workforce and strong connections to the places where we live and work, we’ll touch more lives and contribute to stronger and more vibrant communities.

Transforming Care We’re redefining the standard for care with world-class doctors and caregivers, innovative solutions, outstanding outcomes, and leading-edge research and clinical trials.

Combined, Advocate and Aurora are recognized for clinical excellence in: Cardiovascular Care Neurosciences Gynecology Oncology Pediatrics Primary Care Neurology Geriatrics Trauma Care