Child Life Specialist - Child Life Services at CoxHealth – Springfield, Missouri

About Us

CoxHealth is a leading healthcare system serving 25 counties across southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas. The organization includes six hospitals, 5 ERs, and over 80 clinics. CoxHealth has earned the following honors for workplace excellence:

• Named one of Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to work five times.
• Named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces in Health Care by Newsweek.
• Named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces by Newsweek in 2024.
• Recognized as the Greatest Workplace for Women in both 2023 and 2024.
• Listed as one of the Greatest Workplaces for Diversity in 2024.
• Acknowledged by Forbes as one of the Best Employers for New Grads in 2023.
• Ranked among the Best Employers by State for Missouri.
• Healthcare Innovation's Top Companies to Work for in Healthcare in 2025.

Benefits

• Medical, Vision, Dental, Retirement Plan with employer match, and many more!
• For a comprehensive list of benefits, please click here: Benefits | CoxHealth

Job Summary

A caregiver who assumes responsibility and accountability for all pediatric patients, during contact with the hospital either as an inpatient or outpatient. Our Specialists provide care for these patients through therapeutic use of self, patient activities, hospital environment adaptation, and education of other health care team members regarding development and children’s reactions to hospital stressors.

Job Requirements

Education

• Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Family Development or a related field
• Required: Completion of 600 hour child life specialist internship prior to hire
• Preferred: Degree emphasis in Child Life with a professional hospital internship

Experience

• Preferred: Previous pediatric volunteer experience

Skills

• Performs assessments and goal-directed plans of care to facilitate patient outcomes.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of self and services
• Identifies educational goals for patients, family, staff members, the community, and other hospital departments
• Provides a safe, therapeutic, individualized physical and psychosocial environment for patients and their families

Licensure/Certification/Registration

• Required: Eligible to set for the Child Life Certification exam, if not a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS)
• Preferred: Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)