Child Life Specialist - Registry Park Ridge Campus

Advocate Health Care; Park Ridge (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Advocate Health Care seeks a Certified Child Life Specialist to support children and families in a hospital setting. The role emphasizes developmental support, play-based therapies, and caregiver education to minimize trauma and anxiety during medical care.

Responsibilities include preparing families for procedures, facilitating interdisciplinary rounds, and coordinating support groups and family resources across departments.

Qualifications

• Certified Child Life Specialist within 6 months of hire.
• Bachelor’s degree in Child Life/Child Development or related field.
• Experience with all age groups in healthcare settings.
• Ability to function in a multidisciplinary environment and build rapport with families.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct patient and family interactions and support across growth, development, bereavement and family resources.
• Plan and implement therapeutic play activities for children and adolescents.
• Prepare patients for treatments and accompany them to procedures to reduce medical trauma.
• Educate staff on pediatric-friendly pain management and communication strategies.
• Coordinate events with patients, families and community partners to support development and coping.

Skills

Child Life Specialist

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Communication skills

Patient/family care

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Child Life/Child Development

Tools

PC skills

Job description

• 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.

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.