Child Life Specialist

Career Opportunities with Maryville Academy

The Child Life Specialist is responsible for child life services and programs to children ages birth through 21 years in the Maryville Academy Children’s Healthcare Center. Through the development, implementation and documentation of services and programs, this position promotes effective coping through play, preparation, education, and self-expression for children and their families to cope with the stress of an illness or disability, a prolonged healthcare stay, ongoing treatments and procedures or psychosocial challenges.

Provides information, emotional support and guidance for family members.

Provides developmentally appropriate play and activities to support normal growth and development and to assess and meet the child’s psychosocial needs during their respite or transitional care stay.

Creates an activity plan for each child using basic principles of family-centered care. Implements individual interventions and activities based on an assessment of a child’s development, coping style, diagnosis, and psychosocial supports.

Ensure adequate understanding of medical care and experiences using play and developmentally appropriate language and teaching tools.

Uses developmentally appropriate play experiences to assess and meet the child’s psychosocial needs during their respite or transitional care stay.

Offers opportunities to play, learn and interact with others in an emotionally and physically safe environment to reduce stress, increase adaptive coping, and enhance developmental integrity.

Identifies resources as necessary for developmental intervention, play, coping, education and family support.

Creates a positive environment for children, families and the community.

Supports continued growth and development for the child through group and individual programming.

Promotes adjustment of children and families to treatment, illness, and disability.

Considers the needs of siblings or other children who may also be affected by a child’s health situation.

Communicates with members of the health care team, through formal and informal means of transmitting information, in order to provide optimal care of patients and families. Communicates through both conveying and responding to pertinent information.

Participates in the orientation, training, and mentoring of students and volunteers in appropriate developmental play.

Maintains and orders equipment and supplies for service and program.

Participates in the development and implementation of goals, data collection, and quality improvement projects related to the CLS program.

Evaluates CLS services and makes recommendations to improve child and program outcomes.

Advocates for and addresses the psychosocial/spiritual/developmental/cultural needs of the child and family throughout the continuum of care.

Handles difficult situations pro-actively and collaboratively at the point of service.

Develops new programs or projects to meet the needs of service area.

Assumes responsibility for professional development through participation in seminars or other course work.

Administrative and project management duties, as assigned.

Maintains appropriate records and statistics.

Other duties as assigned.

Bachelor’s Degree in related field

Requires knowledge of child and adolescent development normally acquired through the completion of a baccalaureate degree in child development, child and family development or related field of study.

Minimum of 1 year of experience in child life setting or equivalent position.

Ability to think pro-actively, act creatively and take initiative appropriately.

Ability to communicate effectively, work as a member of a team and adapt to the changing health care environment.

Understands coping styles, child/family learning styles and needs based on developmental level, emotional state, cultural and religious practices.

Must conduct oneself in an ethical and professional manner.

Required to frequently sit, stand, bend, stoop and walk, sometimes for extended periods;

Required to occasionally lift/move objects and/or youth weighing…