Child Life Specialist

Job Description

Description

Become part of an inclusive organization with over 40,000 diverse employees, whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of the unique communities we serve.

Summary:
UNC Health Care is recruiting a [full time/part time] Child Life Specialist with active child life certification, to join our UNC Children’s Hospital team located on the beautiful campus of UNC Chapel Hill. 

As a top-tier academic medical center, UNC Children’s hospital upholds a four-tiered mission to “CARE,” aligning clinical care, advocacy, research, and education to deliver world-class, family-centered care – always regardless of a family’s ability to pay. UNC Children’s clinical home, N.C. Children’s Hospital, is a major referral center for children with complex conditions and consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Children's Hospitals" on its annual list. 

We are seeking a dynamic, motivated and team-oriented Child Life Specialist to join our team! The ideal candidate possesses excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to work with multidisciplinary providers and teammates in effective, collaborative practice, and the flexibility to adjust practice to meet the needs of our patients and families. Our team prioritizes procedural preparation and support, education, and coping skills to facilitate patient adjustment to healthcare experiences. The incumbent may also serve as a resource and an advocate on child development, family-centered care, multicultural awareness, and the impact of various health care experiences on pediatric patients and families. Our clinical education program allows each child life specialist to teach, supervise, and evaluate the work of students in volunteer, practicum, and/or intern roles. We support the professional development of our team members as individuals and as a team, including opportunities for research, program development, and committee/task force involvement.

Responsibilities:
1. Evaluates patient progress towards treatment goals and responses to treatment interventions, adapts as necessary in compliance with departmental performance expectations
2. Initial assessment and evaluation--Individually assesses/evaluates patient formulates clinical impressions and recommendations for treatment, referral for other services or provision for no service based upon the analysis of assessment data, and reports assessment findings to appropriate individuals in compliance with departmental performance expectations
3. Internship management--Recruits, screens, interviews, selects, supervises and evaluates child life interns in accordance with department performance expectations
4. Outreach--Develops and facilitates community outreach programs that promote the Children's Hospital and the health and wellbeing of children in accordance with departmental performance expectations
5. Planning--Interprets assessment data accurately, determines appropriate treatment goals in conjunction with the overall treatment plan, designs treatment plans and individualized treatment interventions for assigned patient population to meet their treatment needs in compliance with departmental performance expectations
6. Plans for all needed resources, coordinates program scheduling and plans and facilitates group and individual treatment interventions with co-workers and other disciplines in compliance with departmental performance expectations
7. Plans for patient discharge and recommends continued service or aftercare in accordance with departmental performance expectations
8. Program development--Develops new or revises existing programs & interventions to reflect current patients' needs, interests and abilities and to promote safety in compliance with departmental performance expectations

Other Information

Other information:
Education Requirements:
● Bachelor's degree in Therapeutic Recreation, Child Life or a related field that meets the Child Life Council's recommendation for coursework concentration in Child Life.
Licensure/Certification Requirements:
● Certification by the Child Life Certifying Commission.
Professional Experience Requirements:
● No prior experience required.
Knowledge/Skills/and Abilities Requirements:

Job Details

Legal Employer: STATE

Entity: UNC Medical Center

Organization Unit: Rec Therapy & Child Life-Peds

Work Type: Full Time

Standard Hours Per Week: 40.00

Work Schedule: Day Job

Location of Job: US:NC:Chapel Hill

Exempt From Overtime: Exempt: No

This is a State position employed by UNC Health Care System.

Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

UNC Health makes reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as applicants and employees with disabilities. All interested applicants are invited to apply for career opportunities. Please email [email protected] if you need a reasonable accommodation to search and/or to apply for a career opportunity.