Our Child Life Specialist job description includes the responsibilities, duties, skills, education, qualifications, and experience.
About the Child Life Specialist role
A Child Life Specialist is a healthcare professional who works with children and families to help them cope with the stress and anxiety of hospitalization, illness, injury, disability, and/or the medical treatment process. They provide emotional support, developmental guidance, play, therapeutic activities, and education to help children understand, express, and manage their feelings.
Role Purpose
The purpose of a Child Life Specialist is to promote effective coping in children and families who are dealing with challenging life events, such as hospitalization, illness, disability, and trauma. Through play, education, and emotional support, Child Life Specialists help children and families understand, cope, and adjust to the stressful medical environment. Additionally, Child Life Specialists provide medical play, support siblings, facilitate family meetings, and provide education to other healthcare professionals.
Child Life Specialist Summary
A Child Life Specialist is a professional who works with children and their families to help them cope with the challenges of hospitalization, illness, disability and other life situations. They specialize in helping children and families understand and adjust to healthcare and life experiences. The Child Life Specialist collaborates with healthcare professionals and other providers to facilitate positive coping strategies, provide education and support to families, and create an environment that is conducive to healing. They may provide direct services such as play activities, therapeutic activities and education, or provide indirect services such as program planning, staff training and community outreach. The Child Life Specialist also serves as an advocate for the child and family, helping to ensure that their individual needs are addressed.
Child Life Specialist Duties
- Plan and implement developmentally appropriate activities for pediatric patients and their families
- Provide emotional support to patients and their families
- Educate families about medical procedures and treatments
- Provide play and therapeutic activities to help patients cope with illness
- Coordinate and advocate for non-medical care services
- Collaborate with health care team members
- Assess and evaluate the psychosocial needs of patients
- Provide resources and referrals to families
Child Life Specialist Skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to maintain a safe environment for children
- Ability to interact positively and effectively with children
- Ability to develop and implement age-appropriate activities
- Knowledge of child development and psychology
- Ability to work with families and other professionals
Child Life Specialist Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree in child development or related field
- Knowledge of child development and child behavior
- Certification as a child life specialist
- Strong communication and organizational skills
Personal Traits
- Compassion
- Patience
- Organizational skills
- Communication skills