Certified Child Life Specialist, Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Holtz Children's Hospital, FT, Days

Child Life Specialist

The Child Life Specialist provides psychosocial and developmentally based assessment, interventions, and support to pediatric patients and families with the primary goals of increasing patient and family education / understanding, decreasing anxiety, and maintaining the integrity of the child and family. Plans and provides emotionally and developmentally appropriate experiences to encourage continued cognitive and emotional growth during various health care experiences.

Responsibilities

• Exchanges significant information with members of the health care team (e.g. daily report, interdisciplinary meetings).
• Provides age-specific orientation to the child and family to health care experiences and personnel and to the setting(s) where health care will occur. Develops supportive therapeutic relationships with pediatric patients and families that reinforce trust and maintain appropriate professional boundaries. Provides consultation to the health care team regarding the ongoing developmental status and unique needs of children and families to promote effective adaptation to treatment and/or potentially stressful events and circumstances; makes referral recommendations. Provides opportunities for and facilitates a variety of play, activities, and other interactions which promote self-healing, self-expression, understanding and mastery. Demonstrates awareness of social, emotional, developmental, educational, and cultural needs of pediatric patients and families. Varies group activity center environment and programs to provide ongoing patient / family enrichment and support. Provides developmental screening and assessment based on formal and informal techniques; completes child life assessment, plan and follow-up per child life program policy.
• Consistently incorporates relevant theoretical concepts (e.g. separation issues, behavioral management, developmental milestones) into pediatric patient assessment and planning.
• Develops individual treatment plans for child life referrals based on an assessment of the child's development, temperament, coping style, culture, spirituality, potential stressors, family needs, and available social supports.
• Plans and initiates follow-up actions to achieve identified goals for patient interventions and program development. Keeps daily records of patient participation in child life activities and/or interventions.
• Provides developmentally appropriate psychological preparation for potentially stressful experiences. Provides emotional support during identified stress points, and utilizes stress reduction techniques to facilitate adaptive coping of the child and family. Provides written documentation of child life clinical interventions per child life program and/or Pediatric Surgical area policy. Accurately interprets and utilizes medical information; seeks clarification of diagnosis or treatment options when necessary.
• Promotes and participates in a collaborative approach to services with patients, families and the health care team. Utilizes therapeutic play techniques (including health care play) as a diagnostic and treatment tool.
• Provides or cooperates with programs which assure continuity in the child's normal life experience (e.g. school programs, personal and holiday celebrations). Provides specific interventions to enhance and normalize the hospital environment for pediatric patients and families. Provides family-centered care which supports family bonds, utilizes family strengths in the care of the child, and provides support and counseling to family members with respect to their own stress and needs. Provides information and resources (to families and professionals) regarding child development and psychosocial care. Provides information and resources to pediatric patients and families regarding prevention, health maintenance, and lifestyle issues related to their health care needs. Uses technology to develop resources which facilitate patient education and/or adaptation to the health care environment (I.e. activity schedules, behavior plans, therapeutic scrapbooks).
• Provides follow-up care with children and families, where necessary and appropriate. Provides sensitive palliative care to pediatric patients, families and siblings when indicated.
• Provides supportive bereavement / grief support interventions to families when indicated. Orients Foster Grandparents and volunteers to the needs of hospitalized children and the purpose of the child life program, makes patient assignments and provides daily reinforcement of therapeutic techniques to same. Participates in the orientation and training of new child life staff as indicated.
• Provides interdisciplinary in-service and student teaching on the role of the child life program, child development, and the impact of illness, injury and hospitalization on pediatric patients and families. Supervises and evaluates the performance of Foster Grandparents and volunteers based on established expectations and the goals of the child life program; forwards results for Volunteer Resources file. Orients child life student interns to child life services and assignments during rotation on primary unit(s) of responsibility. Supervises and evaluates the performance of student interns based on established expectations and the goals of the child life student internship program; provides ongoing feedback and forwards results to child life internship coordinator. Establishes and maintains contact with community groups and individuals and coordinates their visits in the pediatric area to foster enriching experiences and positive hospital-community relations.
• Communicates effectively and expresses ideas clearly; actively listens and follows appropriate channels of communication. Represents child life issues/concerns/philosophy to interested groups or individuals (e.g. in-services, public relations work) and provides child health care education. Maintains administrative documentation per child life program policy and provides a written report of monthly activities to the child life coordinator. Maintains appropriate balance of direct, indirect and non-direct services (per productivity statistics). Insures proper maintenance, safety and organization of activity areas and materials, assists in the selection of program materials and monitors their utilization on the unit. Maintains compliance with budget allocations in purchasing of program supplies. Attends and participates in child life and/or Pediatric Surgical team staff meetings and program development.
• Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability in response to changes in child life program needs or priorities; Adjusts personal schedule to accommodate child life program needs when necessary. Keeps informed of current professional literature, shares information with other staff members and actively participates in associations whose concerns are related to the activities of the child life program.
• Adheres to the Child Life Council Code of Ethics.

Experience

Generally requires 3 to 5 years of related experience.

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field is required

Skill

Ability to analyze, organize and prioritize work accurately while meeting multiple deadlines. Ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written form. Ability to handle difficult and stressful situations with professional composure. Ability to understand and follow instructions. Ability to exercise sound and independent judgment Knowledge and skill in use of job appropriate technology and software applications.

Credentials

Valid license or certification is required as needed, based on the job or specialty. American Heart Association and any additional applicable life support certification for Healthcare Providers may be required at the unit level upon hire with at least 6 months validity and maintenance at JHS for the duration of employment.

Unit Specific Credential

AHA Basic Life Support (BLS) with 6 months validity

Working Conditions

Physical Requirements - Job function requires extended standing or walking. Must be able to carry objects weighing 21 to 50 pounds. Able to lift or move objects weighing 51 to 100 pounds with the use of appropriate devices. Jobs in this group require frequent visual acuity to perform activities related to extended use of computers. Additional information and provision requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by the home unit/department in collaboration with the Reasonable Accommodations Committee (RAC). Environmental Conditions - Jobs in this group are required to function in a fast paced environment with occasional high pressure or emergent and stressful situations. Frequent interaction with a diverse population including team members, providers, patients, insurance companies and other members of the public. Function is subject to inside environmental conditions, with occasional outdoor exposures. Exposure to various environments such as: communicable diseases, toxic substances, medicinal preparations and other conditions common to a hospital and medical office environment. May also be exposed to needle sticks, airborne infections, medical gases, X-Ray, chemical exposures and other potential hazards. Must wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when exposed to infectious/clinical hospital environment. Reasonable accommodations can be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the described essential functions. Additional information and provision requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by the home unit/department in collaboration with the Reasonable Accommodations Committee (RAC).

Jackson Health System is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other status protected by law.