Child Life Specialist

Department/Unit:

General Pediatrics - C7

Work Shift:

Evening (United States of America)

Salary Range:

$55,895.80 - $83,843.71Child life specialists are uniquely trained pediatric healthcare professionals that provide developmentally appropriate care to meet the individualized needs of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Child life specialists collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to achieve the needs of each patient through developing and implementing interventions to help patients and their families cope with their hospital experience. The use of developmentally appropriate play and therapeutic activities allows for psychosocial development and normalization of the hospital environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Demonstrates developmentally appropriate knowledge and skills necessary to assess and interact with a diverse population of pediatric patients and their families.
• Designs and implements individual interventions based on assessment of a patient's development, coping style, diagnosis/ treatment, and psychosocial supports.
• Uses medical play and developmentally appropriate language and teaching tools to ensure adequate preparation for medical interventions and encourage understanding and mastery of diagnosis, medical care and experiences.
• Uses therapeutic/diversional techniques to support patients during treatments and procedures.
• Provides developmentally appropriate play and activities to support normal growth and development.
• Communicates pertinent information concerning patient care at appropriate rounds, with the multidisciplinary team and documentation in patient's' medical record.
• Provides bereavement resources and memory making throughout hospital including but not limited to: pediatric units, labor and delivery, neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric and adult emergency departments, and adult intensive care units.
• Provides support and activities to developmentally delayed patients on adult units
• Supports in-hospital/ home tutoring services that reduce loss of educational ground
• Coordinate and manage on-going practicum students and volunteer program. Volunteer program includes pediatric orientation, schedule management, delegated tasks, and managing playroom.
• Planning and facilitating community and holiday events.
• Assess and coordinate all donations for pediatrics from the community. Assist public relations and the Albany Med Foundation with hospital tours, check presentations and fundraisers.
• Maintains playroom utilized by a diverse pediatric population.
• Completes consultations for the children of adult patients at AMC upon request.
• Participates in unit-based and hospital-wide committees, projects, educational activities, and special events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree Child Life, Child Development or related field - required
• Master's Degree Child Life, Child Development or related field - preferred
• 600-hour Child Life internship under the direct supervision of a certified Child Life Specialist - required
• One year experience in hospital setting - preferred
• Possess the ability to support and work effectively in a family-centered care pediatric unit.
• Ability to work with a multidisciplinary team
• Demonstrates understanding of and sensitivity to the emotional, psycho-social, developmental, and intellectual needs of pediatric patients and their families.
• Demonstrates basic understanding of: children's behavioral and emotional reactions to hospitalization, illness, bereavement, child growth and development, and family dynamics
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules and procedure manuals.
• Ability to document patient care on established forms. Ability to communicate cooperatively and effectively to patients, family members, employees and others.
• Ability to listen well, to take direction and to engage in interactive dialogues with others.
• Ability to seek out the input of others to achieve consensus.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent.
• Ability to be honest, to be punctual, and to perform the job in adherence to the highest standards of ethical conduct as defined by AMC and the tenets of the profession.
• Ability to be accurate in such matters as record-keeping, and to use good judgment when performing the functions of the job or when interacting with others.
• Ability to accept direction, carry out orders, to work cooperatively with others and to avoid the creation of unnecessary conflict.
• Ability to adhere to AM C's policies, procedures and practices, and to utilize AMC's problem-solving processes for resolving grievances or disagreements. Ability to anticipate and resolve potential problems to ensure the continuity of appropriate patient care.
• Ability to identify problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
• CCLS - Certified Child Life Specialist within 1 Year - required

Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Physical Demands

• Standing - Constantly
• Walking - Constantly
• Sitting - Rarely
• Lifting - Frequently
• Carrying - Frequently
• Pushing - Occasionally
• Pulling - Occasionally
• Climbing - Occasionally
• Balancing - Occasionally
• Stooping - Frequently
• Kneeling - Frequently
• Crouching - Frequently
• Crawling - Occasionally
• Reaching - Frequently
• Handling - Frequently
• Grasping - Frequently
• Feeling - Constantly
• Talking - Constantly
• Hearing - Constantly
• Repetitive Motions - Constantly
• Eye/Hand/Foot Coordination - Constantly

Working Conditions

• Extreme cold - Rarely
• Extreme heat - Rarely
• Humidity - Rarely
• Wet - Rarely
• Noise - Constantly
• Hazards - Frequently
• Temperature Change - Rarely
• Atmospheric Conditions - Rarely
• Vibration - Rarely

Thank you for your interest in Albany Medical Center!​

Albany Medical is an equal opportunity employer.

This role may require access to information considered sensitive to Albany Medical Center, its patients, affiliates, and partners, including but not limited to HIPAA Protected Health Information and other information regulated by Federal and New York State statutes. Workforce members are expected to ensure that:

Access to information is based on a “need to know” and is the minimum necessary to properly perform assigned duties. Use or disclosure shall not exceed the minimum amount of information needed to accomplish an intended purpose. Reasonable efforts, consistent with Albany Med Center policies and standards, shall be made to ensure that information is adequately protected from unauthorized access and modification.