Child Life Specialist at Portland, OR (Marquam Hill) – Portland, Oregon

Clinical Responsibilities

• Maintains and supports the philosophy of family centered care by helping the patients and families cope with the hospital experience.
• Assesses and documents the emotional and psychosocial developmental needs, action and follow-up plan written in the patient’s record
• Promotes coping with the hospital experience through expression of feelings in developmentally age appropriate, therapeutic activities.
• Provides preoperative teaching, post op support and pre-op tours.
• Provides emotional support to patients and family during medical/nursing procedures.
• Provides child development expertise in the development of educational material for patients and families.
• Participates in care conferences held to assess patient needs and receive suggestions for intervention from other care conference members.
• Identifies needs of all children incorporating developmental level, mobility, chronicity of illness and psychosocial factors to facilitate activities fostering mastery of healthcare experiences.
• Adapt play materials to meet individual needs.
• Explains at the child’s level of understanding, the sequence, nature, and reason for medical procedures and routines; serves as a supportive non-medical person during medical procedures.
• Promotes positive guest relations with the staff, patients, volunteers and visitors
• Assists in training and supervision of volunteers to promote positive interactions for patients and families with volunteers.
• Provides emotional, intellectual and social support for patients.
• Provides grief support for families

Promotes the Child Life professional and program through education and role modeling.

• Participates in associations related to Child Life and maintains knowledge on current trends in Child Life.
• Shares child development knowledge and communication skills with staff and providers as opportunities arise.
• Orients patient care staff, volunteers and students to the needs of hospitalized children and adolescents.
• Acts as a resource person for staff in identifying patient and family needs under stress and crisis.
• Participates as a member of an organizational, multidisciplinary committee as possible
• Role models professional competence and respectful communications.
• Commits to teamwork in the Child Life Program through positive communication and collaboration.
• Assists in preparation and dissemination of information representing the hospital and Child Life Program to community groups, organizations and the news media.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Maintains necessary medical play supplies and playrooms in good working order.
• Responds to requests and donations of the community, accepts donations brought to DCH.
• Maintains a supply of books/pamphlets for grief support, general information regarding hospitalization of children and other materials as patient needs dictate.
• Processes donations including donor relations, organization, storage and/or distribution of donations.
• Uses fiscal stewardship in requesting and ordering program materials.
• Maintains accurate pager status, answers calls and emails promptly.
• Supports DCH Foundation special events and requests as requested.
• Coordinates and attends Child Life Program special events and/or entertainment activities for patients and families.

• Master’s degree in related field
• 1 or more years’ experience as a Child Life Specialist in a pediatric acute hospital
• Successful OHSU Language Service Competency exam: Spanish Language