Child Life Specialist

Job description

Position Summary

The Child Life Specialist supports pediatric patients and families by reducing stress, promoting coping, and enhancing the healthcare experience through developmentally appropriate interventions. This role collaborates closely with the interdisciplinary care team to assess psychosocial needs, provide therapeutic support, and create a safe, child-friendly environment that supports positive outcomes.

This position will support the Palliative Care team throughout inpatient units. This position will support the team as a psychosocial professional, collaborating with the team in their approach to patients and families navigating complex health care journeys. Interventions are multidisciplinary conversations with patients and families at bedside, education for palliative care fellows and palliative care champions, and communication within the health care team.

The ideal candidate is creative, compassionate, and an excellent communicator with strong interpersonal, organizational, and group facilitation skills.

Key Responsibilities

Assess the developmental, emotional, social, and psychosocial needs of patients and families

Provide child life interventions to support coping with illness, hospitalization, pain, bereavement, and loss

Create a therapeutic environment that promotes comfort, safety, and positive coping

Facilitate individual and group activities to encourage socialization and emotional support

Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team and document interventions in the medical record

Educate patients, families, staff, and the community on the psychosocial needs of pediatric patients

Train and mentor interns, students, and volunteers

Prioritize care for patients and families with the greatest psychosocial needs

Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Child Life, Child Development, or a related field; Master's preferred

Child Life Certification required within one year of hire

Strong knowledge of child development and pediatric psychosocial care

AHA Basic Life Support (BLS) required

Salary Range: Minimum 23.02/hour - Maximum 36.83/hour. Compensation will be commensurate with equity and experience for roles of similar scope and responsibility. In cases where the range is displayed as a $0 amount, salary discussions will occur during candidate screening calls, before any subsequent compensation discussion is held between the candidate and any hiring authority.

The Hospital reserves the right to modify employee schedules as needed.

We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment, where we embrace and celebrate our differences, where all employees feel valued, contribute to our mission of serving the community, and engage in equitable healthcare delivery and workforce practices.

Johns Hopkins Health System and its affiliates are drug-free workplace employers.

Johns Hopkins Health System and its affiliates are an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, mental or physical disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.

Who can apply

Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.