Child Life Specialist

Salary

The salary range for this position is CAD $40.19 - $50.20 / hour
Job Summary

We’re hiring for a casual Child Life Specialist (BA) to join our Emergency Pediatrics team at Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey, B.C.

If you are passionate about supporting children and families through some of their most vulnerable moments, this is an opportunity to bring your expertise into a fast-paced, high-impact environment.

As a Child Life Specialist in our Emergency Department, you will:

• Provide trauma-informed, child and family-centered care
• Support children through crisis, procedures, and hospitalization
• Collaborate closely with physicians, nurses, and interdisciplinary teams
• Help reduce fear, anxiety, and stress during urgent medical experiences

This is a unique opportunity to apply your skills in a dynamic pediatric emergency setting where your impact is immediate and meaningful.

Surrey Memorial Hospital is a regional acute care facility in Surrey B.C. Its size, strategic location, and comprehensive range of services make it a designated referral centre for complex cases across the Fraser Health region, ensuring expert care for some of the province’s most critically ill and injured patients.

Surrey is a vibrant growing city that combines modern living with natural beauty and a strong farming history. Known as the City of Parks, Surrey boasts over 6,000 acres of parkland, offering endless opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. Whether you’re exploring the trails of Green Timbers, browsing fresh produce at a local farmers’ market or taking in the latest exhibit at the Surrey Art Gallery, the city offers something for everyone. With excellent schools, expanding transit options and a close-knit community, Surrey is not just a place to live—it’s a place to thrive.

Come explore all that Surrey & Surrey Memorial Hospital have to offer

Explore all that Surrey BC has to offer You!

Experience the exceptional benefits of working with us including:

• Comprehensive, 100% Employer-Paid Benefits: Enjoy peace of mind with full coverage.
• Generous Vacation Time: eligible employees can earn up to four weeks of vacation to recharge and relax.
• Benefit Portability: Seamlessly transfer your benefits from another HEABC employer.
• Immediate Pension Enrollment: Secure your future with a defined municipal pension plan from day one.
• Maternity Top-Up: Receive an 87% top-up during maternity leave.
• TransLink Pass Subsidy: Save on commuting costs with a 50% subsidy on TransLink passes
• Additional employee discounts and perks available

*Eligibility based on employment status

Connect with us!

Joining our team offers you opportunities to work in a rapidly growing organization with health professionals who are excellent in their respective fields. Fraser Health offers opportunities for career growth and advancement and competitive benefits, including but not limited, to:

Connect with us on our Careers social channels where you’ll learn about exciting opportunities, get career tips from our recruiters, and meet some of your future team members! You can also visit us on Indeed and Glassdoor.

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Detailed Overview

Under the direction of the Manager, Clinical Operations, plans, initiates and monitors daily activities designed to further the social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of children and adolescents on an assigned unit and promotes an increased understanding of medical events and procedures to help parents recognize the needs of their child. Liaises with members of the interdisciplinary team and observes, records and reports relevant information on patient's behaviour, development levels and individual needs. Provides education to patients and parents, coordinates, orientates and allocates work to volunteer staff and participates on designated program and professional committees and in the development of operational policies and procedures.
Responsibilities

1. Plans, initiates and monitors suitable activities for children and adolescents to encourage further social, emotional, intellectual and physical development by methods such as gathering daily information from a variety of sources concerning the conditions, developmental level, interests, capabilities and special problems of each patient and providing toys and games for patients in both the play area and bed rest. Provides appropriate toys, books, equipment and activities to promote increased understanding of medical events and procedures and to help parent recognize the needs of their children while in the hospital and adapts the play activities and materials to suit the special needs of the patient.
2. Liaises with members of the interdisciplinary team including physiotherapy and occupational therapy staff to ensure patient treatment plan is carried out by those departments/programs and that it is reinforced during play periods and communicating treatment plan changes as appropriate.
3. Observes, records and reports relevant information on patients' behaviour, development levels, individual needs and adjustment to hospital environment on the patients' charts and reports same to members of the interdisciplinary team.
4. Charts workload measurement statistics on direct and non-direct patient care in accordance with departmental and professional charting standards and guidelines.
5. Provides education to patients and parents by methods such as developing, preparing and implementing orientation programs as requested, researching topics, preparing documentation and presenting material and brochures. Attends/participates in departmental, hospital and/or region's educational programs as required.
6. Coordinates, orientates and allocates work to volunteers staff assigned to the area.
7. Participates on designated program and professional committees by methods such as attending meetings, providing input and advocating for the goals and objectives of program/service.
8. Participates in the development of operational policies and procedures by methods such as providing input, collaborating with members of the interdisciplinary team and making recommendations to the Manager, Clinical Operations as requested.
9. Interprets the program to hospital based students and/or other students in related fields by methods such as providing supervised work experience, demonstrating procedures to students as required, providing guidance and support and making recommendations to the Manager, Clinical Operations regarding reporting performance to appropriate originating supervisor/institution.
10. Organizes visits by community groups and special entertainers to the hospital.
11. Maintains equipment and supplies for the program by methods such as checking equipment to ensure proper working order, submitting work order requisitions to appropriate department for maintenance and repair, monitoring supply levels, completing purchase requisitions and forwarding to the Manager, Clinical Operations for signature.
12. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

Bachelor's Degree in a related field such as Child and Youth Care, Child Development, Psychology, Special Education or Family Studies. One (1) year's recent related experience or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience. Eligible for membership with Child Life Council or the Canadian Association of Child Life Leaders. Completion of Child Life Certification.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with others both within and outside the organization.
• Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work in a continuously changing environment and take initiative to ensure effective and timely delivery of services.
• Ability to operate related equipment.
• Ability to deal with others effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to relate to children, adolescents and families.
• Knowledge of medical procedures and terminology.
• Demonstrated knowledge of how to modify and adapt activities, equipment and/or facilities to meet specific individual and/or group needs.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.

About Fraser Health

Fraser Health is the heart of health care for over two million people in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the Coast Salish and Nlaka’pamux Nations and is home to 32 First Nations within the Fraser Salish region.

People - those we care for and those who care for them - are at the heart of everything we do. Our hospital and community-based services are delivered by a team of 50,000+ staff, medical staff and volunteers.

We are committed to planetary health and value diversity in the work force. We strive to maintain an environment of respect, caring and trust. Fraser Health’s hiring practices aspire to ensure all individuals are treated in an inclusive, equitable and culturally safe manner.

Together, we are the heart of health care.

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