Child Life Specialist

Child Life Specialist (260000F8) Provides therapeutic services and play activities to promote the physical, emotional and developmental growth of patients and minimize potential stress and trauma for patients and families. Qualifications Minimum Education Bachelor's degree in Child Life, Child Development or related field. (Required) Master's degree in Child Life, Child Development or related field. (Preferred) Minimum Work Experience Completion 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. (Required) Required Skills/Knowledge Knowledge of child and adolescent growth and development based on the theories of development, including but not limited to Piaget, Erikson, Bowlby, and Vygotsky Knowledge of age-appropriate play and ability to utilize play as a mechanism for patient-understanding of the hospital environment and experiences Ability to assess patient’s development and response to hospital environment and provide developmentally appropriate interventions Ability to discuss medical experiences in age-appropriate, child-friendly language Understanding of basic human anatomy and physiology and knowledge of medical terminology Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple tasks simultaneously, utilizing critical thinking and problem solving skills Ability 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 issues Functional Accountabilities Direct Patient Care Assesses patients’ development, temperament, coping style, and adjustment using knowledge of child development and behavior, disease/injury, treatment, healthcare stressors, cultural and family systems. Uses 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 experience. Provides opportunities for and facilitates a variety of group and/or individual recreational and play activities that promote normalization, development, learning, self-expression, and coping. Uses preparation and medical play opportunities to help alleviate misconceptions and increase understanding of hospital procedures. Provides procedural support to patients in order to foster increased coping skills and evaluates effectiveness of interventions to better inform and individualize future support. Provides 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 needs. Participates in the weekday, weekend, and on-call rotation, as assigned. Regularly maintains patient care documentation in accordance with standards. Fosters 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-wide. Encourages and coordinates patients’ and families’ participation in activities and special events to support normalization and coping. Supports and chaperones special visitors to assigned areas of hospital. Assists child life team, assigned area of hospital, or department with intake and distribution of donations of toys and other comforting items. Interdisciplinary Collaboration Collaborates with interdisciplinary healthcare team in order to provide optimal care and advocate for developmentally-appropriate patient and family needs. Uses formal and informal methods of communication to share assessments, interventions, and evaluations, as appropriate. Maintains communication with interdisciplinary team members to coordinate care and engage in consultation regarding patient care. Provides referrals to internal or community resources for patients and families as needed. Program Development 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 Development With 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. Organizational Accountabilities Anticipate and respond to customer needs; follows up until needs are met Teamwork/Communication Demonstrate collaborative and respectful behavior. Partner with all team members to achieve goals. Receptive to others’ ideas and opinions. Performance Improvement/Problem-solving Contribute to a positive work environment. Demonstrate flexibility and willingness to change. Identify opportunities to improve clinical and administrative processes. Make appropriate decisions, using sound judgment. Use resources efficiently. Search for less costly ways of doing things. Safety Speak up when team members appear to exhibit unsafe behavior or performance. Continuously validate and verify information needed for decision making or documentation. Stop in the face of uncertainty and takes time to resolve the situation. Demonstrate accurate, clear and timely verbal and written communication. Actively promote safety for patients, families, visitors and co-workers. Attend carefully to important details - practicing Stop, Think, Act and Review in order to self-check behavior and performance. Primary Location District of Columbia - Washington Work Locations CN Hospital (Main Campus) 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington 20010 Job Allied Health Organization Position Status: R (Regular) - FT - Full-Time Shift: Day Work Schedule: M-F 9a-5p Job Posting Mar 10, 2026, 8:13:08 PM Full-Time Salary Range 50252.8 - 83761.6 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 Rights Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster. Childrens National Hospital policy ensures a “drug-free” work environment: a workplace free from 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr Children's National Medical Center