Child Life Specialist

Child Life Specialist at Children's Hospital Colorado provides psychosocial support to infants, children, adolescents, and youth and helps address emotional, family, and developmental concerns related to illness or injury. The CLS uses developmentally appropriate information, play, self-expression, and empowerment to improve coping and adjustment. As a member of the psychosocial team, the CLS collaborates with multidisciplinary healthcare teams to ensure emotionally safe, family-centered care is provided.

The CLS also develops and maintains resources, plans and facilitates special events, and provides educational opportunities across CHCO and the community. This position may float between departments as needed.

• Applies formal and informal techniques to assess patient/family acuity and psychosocial risk; adapts services to meet the patient/family's needs, goals, and preferences; collects, interprets, and integrates relevant data into psychosocial assessment and plan of care.
• Provides education on the scope of child life services, impact of healthcare on development, and developmentally appropriate and emotionally safe medical care; maintains professional boundaries for the primary unit/population.
• Provides guidance, feedback, and professional skill development opportunities for child life students.
• Considers the impact of diagnosis, procedures, and treatment; incorporates anticipated impacts of illness, injury, and healthcare experiences into interventions.
• Facilitates basic interventions to help children express feelings, process upsetting events, and develop positive coping skills; supports self-esteem, independence, and understanding of medical care.
• Utilizes best practice and/or evidenced-based practice to ensure high quality care.
• Facilitates basic interventions including psychological preparation and/or procedure support for infants/children/youth undergoing medical procedures or surgeries to improve coping and understanding.
• Implements short- and long-term plans, resources, and programming to provide support for patients and families; monitors progress and evaluates developmental response to hospitalization and care.
• Collaborates with internal and external CHCO partners and participates in special events, including fundraising, to foster hospital engagement.
• Documents care in the patient electronic medical record to meet regulatory and departmental documentation and productivity requirements.
• Participates in departmental committees, quality improvement, professional development, and/or research initiatives related to child life services.

• Bachelor of Science
• Area of Study:
  Child Life, Child Life Dev, Counseling Psychology, Social Work, or Education
• Licenses &
  
  Certifications:
  
  Cert Child Life Specialist

• Dependent on departmental needs and could include weekends and evenings
• 40 hours per week (FT)

Pay is dependent on applicant's relevant experience. Annual Salary Range (Based on 40 hours worked per week): $54,790.77 to $82,186.16

Here, you matter. CHCO offers a competitive pay and benefits package that includes base pay, incentives, paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, company-provided life and disability insurance, paid parental leave, 403b employer match, wellness program, and access to professional development tools, including an education benefit to help you advance your career.

As part of our Total Rewards package, CHCO offers an annual employee bonus program based on organizational performance. If organizational goals are met for the year, the bonus is paid out the following April. CHCO also delivers annual base pay increases to eligible team members based on performance.

It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or any other status protected by law or regulation. The position is expected to stay open until the posted close date. Please submit your application as soon as possible as the posting is subject to close at any time once a sufficient pool of qualified applicants is obtained.

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

• Seniority level:
  Entry level
• Employment type:
  
  Full-time
• Job function:
  Other
• Industries:
  Hospitals and Health Care