• Clinical Responsibilities Evaluates child's developmental stage, ability to understand and cope with the health care environment, temperament and emotional state.
• Develops a strategic plan to reduce the fear and anxiety a child experiences with the health care environment.
• Implements specialized services to best meet the individual child's needs including: medical play, preparation for procedures, operations or other medical events, teaching and implementing coping strategies, providing education about disease process and treatment to both the child and their family.
• Identifies patient and family coping strategies in daily routine and applies these strategies to assist patients and their families in coping with the stress of hospitalization, illness, death, and loss.
• Educates patient, family, and staff to other techniques to aid a child in coping and insures technique is age appropriate for the development, and emotional state of the child.
• Assists in the implementation of such techniques, monitors its effectiveness and alters the plan as necessary.
• Responsible for leading the child, staff and family through coping strategies during medical procedures.
• Educates and prepares patients and their families for medical procedures, disease processes and mastery of the healthcare environment using appropriate and therapeutic play activities as treatment tools.
• Interprets and communicates patient's perception of diagnosis and treatment as revealed through play and other means of communication, both verbal and nonverbal, to staff and family.
• Integrates Child Life services by providing consultation to other health care workers regarding developmental and behavioral issues which impact on patient care.
• Creates, implements and orients other health care staff to age appropriate behavior reward methods to promote a patient's adaptation to treatment and encourage patient cooperation.
• Creates and distributes resources about child health and safety in general as needed.
• Assures therapeutic and safe environments for individual and group play.
• Selects, purchases and maintains the safety and cleanliness of toys, games, and other equipment used in the play areas to comply with departmental infection control policies and procedures.
• Documents Child Life interventions in the patient's medical record in accordance with Geisinger policies and procedures.
• Participates in record keeping of vital statistics for the Child Life Department demonstrating which Child Life services have been provided to patients.
• Educates, and acts as resource for, health care professionals regarding the psychosocial issues of pediatric health care, and the impact of illness, injury, and hospitalization on patients and their families.
• Develops and schedules in-services as needed for multidisciplinary team members and community groups.
• Interviews, orients, coordinates, schedules and supervises Child Life volunteers in their daily work with patients in all patient care areas.

Work is typically performed in a clinical environment. Accountable for satisfying all job specific obligations and complying with all organization policies and procedures. The specific statements in this profile are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements considered necessary to successfully perform the job. Additional competencies and skills outlined in any department-specific orientation will be considered essential to the performance of the job related to that position.

Qualifications:

Join our team and receive up to a $5,000 joining bonus, plus, relocation assistance for qualified candidates.

Position Details:

To learn more about Janet Weis Children's Hospital Child Life Services -

Please visit: https://www.geisinger.org/patient-care/find-a-location/janet-weis-childrens-hospital/child-life-services

Minimum Qualifications:

• Internship Requirement:
  Completion of a Child Life Internship (minimum 600 hours) under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist.

• Education:
  Bachelor’s degree in Child Development, Education, Psychology, or a related field.

• Certification Eligibility:
  Must meet the requirements to be eligible for professional certification by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP).

• Career Ladder Opportunities

• Membership to The Association of Child Life Professional and Certification Annual maintenance fees provided by Department.

• As a part of a teaching institution, this department provides and ACLP accredited internship and supervises practicum students.

• Hours: Days

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Benefits of working at Geisinger: 

• Full benefits (health, dental and vision) starting on day one 

• Three medical plan choices, including an expanded network for out-of-area employees and dependents  

• Pre-tax savings plans with healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSA) and a health savings account (HSA)  

• Company-paid life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability coverage  

• 401(k) plan that includes automatic Geisinger contributions  

• Generous paid time off (PTO) plan that allows you to accrue time quickly  

• Up to $5,000 in tuition reimbursement per calendar year  

• MyHealth Rewards wellness program to improve your health while earning a financial incentive  

• Family-friendly support including adoption and fertility assistance, parental leave pay, military leave pay and a free Care.com membership with discounted backup care for your loved ones  

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Referrals for childcare, eldercare, & pet care. Access free legal guidance, mental health visits, work-life support, digital self-help tools and more.  

• Voluntary benefits including accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance, identity theft protection, universal life and pet and legal insurance