Recreation Assistant

Job Title: Recreation Assistant Location: Mountainside (MTN) Department Name: Recreational Therapy Req #: 0000271819 Status: Hourly Shift: Day Pay Range: $18.56 - $22.27 per hour Pay Transparency: The above reflects the anticipated hourly wage 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. Recreation Assistant – Children's Specialized Hospital, RWJBarnabas Health At Children's Specialized Hospital, part of RWJBarnabas Health, Recreation Assistants become part of a collaborative, family-centered environment where compassion, creativity, and meaningful engagement come together to support children and families throughout their healthcare journey. This Recreation Assistant role offers an opportunity to work closely with Child Life Specialists, Recreational Therapists, and other clinical team members to provide therapeutic and diversional recreation experiences that help reduce the stress and emotional effects of hospitalization while enhancing patients' overall quality of life. As a Recreation Assistant, you will help plan, organize, and implement engaging recreational activities for children and individuals with a variety of developmental, physical, cognitive, and emotional needs. You will support therapeutic recreation groups, special events, and community outings while adapting activities to meet individual patient abilities and interests. In addition, you will help maintain departmental activity spaces, equipment, and supplies while contributing to a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment. Joining Children's Specialized Hospital means becoming part of a team dedicated to exceptional pediatric care while helping children experience the joy, connection, and developmental benefits of play and recreation. This position will focus on supporting a daily structured Toddler Program focused on developmental play and increased engagement while promoting a safe and nurturing environment for them to continue to thrive and reach their fullest potential. A typical day for a Recreation Assistant may include: Planning and implementing age-appropriate diversional recreation activities that promote engagement, socialization, self-expression, positive coping, and quality of life for patients of varying ages and abilities Assisting Child Life Specialists and Recreational Therapists with the planning and implementation of therapeutic recreation groups, special events, holiday celebrations, and community outings Providing meaningful recreational opportunities that help alleviate the stress and emotional effects of hospitalization and support patients' overall well-being Demonstrating knowledge of child development, developmental milestones, and patient diagnoses and applying this knowledge when selecting and adapting activities Assessing and evaluating patients' overall levels of functioning to identify appropriate recreational activities, determine necessary adaptations, and support individual patient needs Modifying activities, materials, and environments to accommodate a variety of physical, cognitive, developmental, and emotional abilities, including patients with special needs and challenging behaviors Communicating effectively and compassionately with patients, families, therapists, nursing staff, volunteers, and other members of the healthcare team Maintaining clean, organized, and welcoming departmental activity areas, including cleaning recreational equipment and organizing closets and storage spaces according to established departmental expectations Monitoring inventory of general supplies and equipment, identifying supply needs, and ensuring materials are ordered accurately and in a timely manner Orienting and supervising assigned volunteers and community groups in accordance with hospital policies and procedures Maintaining a safe environment during recreational activities by following patient-specific precautions, appropriate supervision practices, and established safety guidelines Completing required documentation on the day of service for applicable long-term care programs Supporting therapists and other hospital personnel with additional responsibilities as needed to help ensure the smooth operation of departmental recreation services Completing other duties as assigned while maintaining a compassionate, flexible, patient-centered, and team-oriented approach This role might be for you if: You are passionate about working with children and families and enjoy creating positive, meaningful experiences for patients during their healthcare journey You have experience working with children, particularly children with special needs, or have a strong interest in pediatric healthcare, recreation, or therapeutic programming You enjoy planning creative, engaging activities and finding ways to adapt recreation opportunities to meet the individual needs and abilities of others You have experience working with individuals who demonstrate challenging behaviors or are comfortable learning strategies to support patients with diverse behavioral and developmental needs Strong customer service and communication skills allow you to interact professionally and compassionately with patients, families, therapists, nursing staff, volunteers, and community groups You demonstrate patience, enthusiasm, creativity, initiative, sound judgment, and emotional maturity when working with children and individuals with varying abilities You are dependable, organized, and attentive to detail, with the ability to maintain clean activity spaces, organize supplies, and monitor departmental inventory You enjoy collaborating with Child Life Specialists, Recreational Therapists, and other members of a multidisciplinary healthcare team You are flexible and adaptable when responding to changing patient needs, activity schedules, and departmental priorities You understand the importance of maintaining a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for patients and families You have the physical stamina to remain active throughout the day and are comfortable with lifting, standing, walking, and assisting with therapeutic activities and patient handling as appropriate You are comfortable working in a variety of settings, including therapy areas, patient care units, nursing units, and community locations To Be Considered: To be considered for this opportunity, you must meet the following criteria: Education: High school or equivalent required. Higher education preferred Certification: Current Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider Certification through the American Heart Association required Experience: Previous experience working with children is required. Experience working with children with special needs and individuals who demonstrate challenging behaviors is preferred. Experience working with children ages 0-5 is preferred License: Valid driver's license required. Skills: Strong communication and interpersonal skills, creativity, patience, initiative, sound judgment, and the ability to plan and adapt recreational activities for individuals with varying abilities are important for success in this role. The ideal candidate is compassionate, enthusiastic, dependable, and flexible, with the ability to work collaboratively with therapists and other clinical team members while maintaining a safe, organized, and engaging recreational environment Schedule: Full Time, 40 hours per week. Flexibility with scheduled hours each week is required to accommodate changing patient and departmental needs. #J-18808-Ljbffr RWJBarnabas Health