Job Summary:
Meets the psychosocial needs of pediatric patients and their families. Provides age-appropriate education regarding procedures/diagnoses, procedural support, and therapeutic activities to minimize stress and anxiety and promote positive coping to children and adolescents during their medical experience. Orients, oversees, and delegates tasks and responsibilities to Child Life interns, volunteers, first year medical students, and high school and college students.
Essential Responsibilities:

Plans and implements patient interactions and activities with the child life assistant and available volunteers.
Assesses patients emotional state and provides tools, strategies, and normalization opportunities using medical play, therapeutic play, and developmental stimulation to enhance positive coping and promote health patterns of growth and development.
Develops, implements, and evaluates the Child Life program as well as collects and maintains statistical data to monitor and improve the effectiveness of the program.
Implements developmentally appropriate education and therapeutic interventions to aid in patient, sibling, and family understanding of illness/medical experiences.
Provides preparation for medical interventions to patients, siblings, and families for inpatient and/or outpatient procedures to ensure emotional safety.
Redirects parental concerns to appropriate disciplines. Functions as part of interdisciplinary health care team to identify current patient needs and develop care plan goals.
Recommends selection, evaluation and hire of volunteers as potential employees.
Schedules and attends Child Life program meetings, completes administrative duties, and replenishes supplies as needed. Networks with community agencies/organizations available for patients and families.
Coordinates special events/special visitors for the purpose of providing normalization opportunities for the hospitalized child.
Orients, trains, and supervises guidance to volunteers.
May provide guidance and training to various Hawaii public high school students, medical students and Child Life interns from Hawaii and mainland schools.
Develops and implements in-service training to hospital staff about Child Life services.
Serves as liaison between inpatient and outpatient services and is a resource to the interdisciplinary health care team.
Assists in establishing and maintaining Child Life policies and procedures, objectives, quality assurance programs, safety, environmental and infection control standards in accordance with The Joint Commission and other regulatory requirements including the Association of Child Life Professionals.
Maintains professional growth and development through education, in-services, and professional affiliations to maintain knowledge of current research.

Basic Qualifications: Experience

Minimum two (2) years of child life program experience including program development.

Education

Bachelors degree in child development, child life, human development, early childhood education, psychology, or related field.

License, Certification, Registration

Basic Life Support from American Heart Association

Child Life Specialist Certificate

Additional Requirements:

Ability to assess and interact with patients and families using theories of child/human development, family systems and cultural background.
Ability to identify general issues in family dynamics.
Demonstrated knowledge of and skill in adaptability, change management, conflict resolution, creativity/innovation, decision making, customer service, group presentations, group process facilitation, influence, interpersonal relations, oral communication, problem solving, project management, quality management, results orientation, systems thinking, teamwork, and written communication.
Demonstrated knowledge of and skill in word processing, spreadsheet, and database PC applications.

Preferred Qualifications:

Supervisory/lead or project management experience.
Masters degree in child development, child life, human development, early childhood education, psychology or related field.