Child Life Specialist – Peds / Child Life (Part Time
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento (SMCS) has two acute care hospital campuses, Sutter General and Sutter Memorial, and has provided health care to residents of Sacramento since 1923. SMCS also includes Sutter Center for Psychiatry, providing psychiatric, mental health and chemical dependency services since 1958, and Sutter Oaks Midtown, a 100-bed skilled nursing facility.
With 823 licensed beds, SMCS is not-for-profit and fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. SMCS received a superior rating for overall patient satisfaction on calhospitalcompare.org, a consumer online report card.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Child Life Specialist, under the direction of the Child Life Program Coordinator and/or department leadership, assists pediatric patients and families cope with hospitalization and illness through planning and implementation of evidence-based therapeutic, recreational, and diversion interventions based on their emotional and development needs.
MINIMUM POSITION REQUIREMENTS
Education:
Baccalaureate Degree in Child Life, Child development, or closely related field required; Master's Degree preferred. Completion of a Child Life internship is required. Professional Child Life certification or eligibility for certification, and attainment of certification within one year of hire is required. BLS for healthcare providers is required.
Experience:
Previous experience working with hospitalized and healthy children, and with families, is required.
Knowledge:
Working knowledge of child growth and development, family dynamics, therapeutic play, developmental assessment, the learning process, group process and behavior management, the reactions of children and their families to illness and healthcare encounters, interventions to support coping, collaboration with other healthcare professionals, basic medical terminology and children's illnesses is required.
Special Skills/Equipment:
Must be able to prioritize multiple demands independently, and in a self-directed manner, in an ever-changing environment. Must have excellent interpersonal communication skills along with the ability to direct the day to day activities of students, volunteers and interns. Must have leadership skills. Requires the ability to implement therapeutic play activities for individual children and groups, apply knowledge of child growth and development and assess children's behaviors and needs. Requires the ability to utilize and teach coping strategies as well as to utilize appropriate supervisory skills with volunteers, students and interns. Must have demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with children, families and hospital staff, both verbally and in writing. Must demonstrate strong terpersonal and organizational skills. Must be able to flex time to handle crisis and emergent situations.