Child Life Specialist - Level I or II

Child Life Specialist I provides therapeutic services and play activities to promote the physical, emotional and developmental growth of patients and minimize potential stress and trauma for patients and families.

Functional Accountabilities

• Delivers comprehensive child life services to patients and families, including evidence-based therapeutic play, psychosocial support, procedural preparation, coping facilitation, and end-of-life/bereavement interventions.
• Conducts thorough assessments of developmental status, temperament, coping styles, and psychosocial adjustment; documents care in accordance with clinical and regulatory standards.
• Partners proactively with interdisciplinary teams to optimize patient- and family-centered care; supports hospital-wide patient experience initiatives, special events, and strategic programming.
• Provides specialized procedural support, employing advanced coping strategies and evaluating intervention effectiveness to continuously improve care quality.
• Participates in departmental and psychosocial rounds to support coordinated, patient- and family-centered care.
• Participates in weekday, weekend, and on-call service rotations; independently prioritizes caseload and adapts workflow to meet patient acuity, safety considerations, and departmental priorities.
• Offers clinical supervision and mentorship to child life interns; facilitates meaningful patient engagement opportunities for volunteers in accordance with institutional guidelines.
• Designs, implements, and evaluates efficient, cost-effective programming; manages child life resources, equipment, and therapeutic materials to ensure optimal service delivery.
• Oversees donation intake, organization, and distribution to maintain high standards of safety, quality, and alignment with patient needs.
• Support data collection for service
• Provides mentorship, guidance, and clinical support to Child Life I staff, fostering professional growth and consistent application of therapeutic standards.
• Serves as a clinical and educational resource within assigned areas and contributes to quality improvement and/or research initiatives within the department or institution.
• Provides mentorship, guidance, and supervision to Child Life Specialist I staff; orients new team members and participates in in-service education, presentations, and departmental initiatives.
• Participates in the development, implementation, and revision of departmental policies and procedures; contributes ideas for research, quality improvement, and evidence-based practice.
• Works with Public Relations, Comms and Marketing and other hospital departments to promote the Program internally and externally as appropriate.
• Assists with activities to fund the program (grant-writing, support for fundraising activities).