Child Life Specialist

What You Will Do:
Child Life Specialist
Full-Time
Location – On our Pediatric Progressive Care Unit
Baltimore, MD

Come elevate your skills and experience by working with a world class 800-bed, Magnet designated Academic Medical Center.

We are looking for talented professionals to join our team at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

As a Team Member at UMMC, you’ll experience:

• A supportive and collaborative work environment
• A comprehensive benefits package including health, vision and dental coverage including prescription drug coverage, Tax-Free Savings Plans and more!
• A highly competitive wage scale: Annual merit increases and a base wage scale that is measured against to market standards.
• Generous tuition reimbursement of up to $5,000 per year for your graduate degree.

Located in downtown Baltimore near the Inner Harbor and Camden Yards, you won’t find a more vibrant place to work!

General Summary
The Child Life Specialist provides psychosocially and developmentally based assessment and support to infants, children, youth and families in the healthcare setting. Services are provided to children from infancy to twenty-one years of age. The Child Life Specialist supports the social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs of children and families in healthcare settings through direct intervention and advocacy regarding their psychosocial needs. The Child Life Specialist assesses children’s developmental and coping needs and implements developmentally appropriate therapeutic interventions such as play, medical play, psychological preparation, and rehearsed coping to minimize distress associated with the health care environment and to foster resiliency. The Child Life Specialist is supervised by the child life manager and teaches, supervises and evaluates the work of volunteers and Child Life placement students.. The Child Life Specialist collaborates with the interdisciplinary team and the community to promote patient and family centered care and to foster positive hospital-community relations.
Principal Responsibilities and Tasks

• The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by personnel so classified.
  
• Assesses the developmental and psychosocial needs of infants, children, youth, and families.

PATIENT AND FAMILY CARE

• Effectively utilizes information from the child and family and observations of development, coping styles, play, and affect as a basis for assessment and to formulate a plan of care.
• Demonstrates ability to be flexible with chosen intervention strategies to adapt to the needs of the child and family.
• Fosters safe, therapeutic and healing environments to minimize stress, maximize coping, and facilitate normative development in the healthcare setting.
• Establishes and maintains therapeutic relationships with infants, children, youth and families.
• Demonstrates a therapeutic use of self, including an awareness of body language, non-verbal communication, tone of voice, and supportive and reflective listening.
• Provides developmentally appropriate diagnosis education to children and families.
• Utilizes educational materials and contributes to the developmental of new educational materials/methods of teaching for both child/family and staff.
• Facilitates planning, rehearsal, implementation, and evaluation of coping strategies
• Accompanies children and families during procedures and/or stressors to facilitate adaptive coping.
• Provides psychological preparation for children undergoing procedures and surgery.
• Utilizes appropriate non-pharmacological pain management strategies.
• Facilitates developmentally appropriate play as a primary tool to decrease distress, provide enjoyment and comfort, enhance mastery, and promote healing. Demonstrates expertize in applying and incorporating therapeutic play in a creative manner to aid in coping, healing, and communication.

What You Need to Be Successful:
Education and Experience

• B.S. or B.A. in child life, child development, or closely related discipline. Completion of a child life internship under the supervision of a certified child life specialist is required. The candidate must meet requirements set forth for certification by the Association of Child Life Professionals Certifying Commission. Certification must be obtained within 6 months of hire.
• The individual must demonstrate extensive knowledge and skill regarding child and adolescent development and appropriate interventions for children age neonate to young adult; knowledge of family systems theory; knowledge of the developmental effects of stress and trauma on children and interventions to alleviate distress; a working knowledge of medical diagnoses and procedures and their relationship to children’s behavior and development; broad based knowledge regarding the special needs of children with chronic or disabling conditions; knowledge of play activities and therapeutic interventions; and an in depth knowledge of body of research relating to children in health care settings.
• The individual acts as a role model throughout the institution regarding age specific competencies.
• Advanced interpersonal skills are required to interact with children, families, volunteers and the interdisciplinary health care team.
• Must have current CPR training or obtain CPR training within 3 months.
• Membership in the Association of Child Life Professionals and other professional affiliations is encouraged.
• Strong time management and organizational skills are required.

We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.