Child Life Specialist - PRN (as needed)

Children's National Hospital; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 36,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC seeks a Child Life Specialist to support patients and families with developmentally appropriate interventions, therapeutic play, and coping strategies during hospitalization. The role focuses on reducing stress, promoting normalcy, and enhancing family-centered care.

You will work within the Child Life and Integrated Care team to design individualized care plans, educate families, and collaborate with physicians, nurses, and volunteers to promote

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Child Life, Child Development or related field.
• Master's degree in Child Life, Child Development or related field preferred.
• Completion of Child Life Internship (min 600 hours) and prerequisites.
• Certified or eligible for Child Life Certification; pass exam within 6 months.

Responsibilities

• Assess patients’ development, temperament, coping and adjust interventions.
• Provide therapeutic interactions and play to support growth and coping.
• Educate siblings and parents about hospital visits and procedures.
• Maintain patient care documentation daily according to standards.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to coordinate care.

Skills

Child development

Play therapy

Communication

Empathy

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Child Life/related field

Master's Degree in Child Life/related field

Job description

111 Michigan Avenue NorthwestWashington, DC 20010Kids Are Our Everything.Department10286 Child Life and Integrated CarePay Range$26.29 - $43.82Provides therapeutic services and play activities to promote the physical, emotional and developmental growth of patients and minimize potentialstress and trauma for patients and familiesMinimum EducationBachelor's Degree Bachelor's degree in Child Life, Child Development or related field. (Required)Master's Degree Master's degree in Child Life, Child Development or related field. (Preferred)ExperienceCompletion of Child Life Internship (minimum 600 hours) and all internship prerequisites including, but not limited to volunteer hours and Child Life Practicum (Required)Candidate must be certified or eligible for Child Life Certification. Candidate must pass certification exam within 6 months of hire (Required)Required Skills/KnowledgeKnowledge of child and adolescent growth and development based on the theories of development, including but not limited to Piaget, Erikson, Bowlby, and VygotskyKnowledge of age-appropriate play and ability to utilize play as a mechanism for patient-understanding of the hospital environment and experiencesAbility to assess patient’s development and response to hospital environment and provide developmentally appropriate interventionsAbility to discuss medical experiences in age-appropriate, child-friendly languageUnderstanding of basic human anatomy and physiology and knowledge of medical terminologyAbility to work in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple tasks simultaneously, utilizing critical thinking and problem solving skillsAbility to comfortably work with internal and external customers from diverse social, cultural and educational backgrounds.Ability to identify and work collaboratively with diverse teams.Ability to listen, be empathetic, motivate and follow-through, and eager to seize challenges and resolve issuesFunctional AccountabilitiesDirect Patient CareAssesses patients’ development, temperament, coping style, and adjustment using knowledge of child development and behavior, disease/injury, treatment, healthcare stressors, cultural and family systemsUses knowledge and resources to create developmental plan and implement appropriate child life and interdisciplinary interventions.Provides therapeutic interactions and activities which offer emotional support, opportunities for continued growth and development, and diversion from the hospital experienceProvides opportunities for and facilitates a variety of group and/or individual recreational and play activities that promote normalization, development, learning, self-expression, and copingUses preparation and medical play opportunities to help alleviate misconceptions and increase understanding of hospital proceduresProvides procedural support to patients in order to foster increased coping skills and evaluates effectiveness of interventions to better inform and individualize future supportProvides education and support to siblings and parents related to hospital visits, effects of hospitalization, procedures, new diagnoses, etc.Prioritizes own caseload daily in order to meet both child and departmental needsParticipates in the weekday, weekend, and on-call rotation, as assignedRegularly maintains patient care documentation in accordance with standardsPatient ExperienceFosters environment for patients and families to feel heard and understood, anticipates patient and family needs, and ensures needs are met.Collaborates with child life team and other professionals to provide activities, special visitors, events, and entertainment to patients and families hospital-wideEncourages and coordinates patients’ and families’ participation in activities and special events to support normalization and copingSupports and chaperones special visitors to assigned areas of hospitalAssists child life team, assigned area of hospital, or department with intake and distribution of donations of toys and other comforting itemsInterdisciplinary CollaborationCollaborates with interdisciplinary healthcare team in order to provide optimal care and advocate for developmentally-appropriate patient and family needsUses formal and informal methods of communication to share assessments, interventions, and evaluations, as appropriateMaintains communication with interdisciplinary team members to coordinate care and engage in consultation regarding patient careProvides referrals to internal or community resources for patients and families as neededProgram DevelopmentFacilitates patient interaction for volunteers.Presents in-service trainings on role and impact of child life to departments or assigned areas, increasing understanding of importance of family-centered care.Adheres to budget set and outlined by Child Life Manager.Manages child life resources of assigned area of hospital and ensures consistent supply of resources.Attends and participates in opportunities that complement and enhance professional development.Professional DevelopmentWith Child Life Manager, establishes annual goals and independently works to meet those goals.Participates as member of assigned area or department committees as deemed appropriate.Develops and maintains professional skills and knowledge by attending seminars, workshops, conferences, etc.Maintains a willingness to learn and openness to new ideas and practices.The disclosed salary range includes the minimum and maximum rates within which Children’s National believes an individual’s base pay rate will fall for this position. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the maximum of the pay range. The exact pay rate for this position will be based on a variety of factors in alignment with the Children’s National compensation philosophy. These factors are legitimate and non-discriminatory including, but not limited to, the current market conditions; organizational needs; the individual’s combination of prior work experience, level of education, knowledge, skills, and other qualifications. Children’s National is committed to providing a fair and competitive total rewards package to each of our employees. This base salary range does not include our comprehensive benefits package or any additional compensation for which this position may be eligible.Childrens National Hospital is an equal opportunity employer that evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or other characteristics protected by law. The “Know Your Rights” poster is available here: and the pay transparency policy is available here: Know Your RightsPay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster.Please note that it is the policy of Children's National Hospital to ensure a “drug-free” work environment: a workplace free from the illegal use, possession or distribution of controlled substances (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act), or the misuse of legal substances, by all staff (management, employees and contractors). Though recreational and medical marijuana are now legal in the District of Columbia, Children's National and its affiliates maintain the right, in accordance with our policy, to enforce a drug-free workplace, including prohibiting recreational or prescribed marijuana.