Child Life Specialist

The Child Life Specialist (CLS) works in healthcare and community settings to address the psychosocial, emotional, and family concerns that accompany the illness and injury of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. The CLS utilizes developmentally appropriate education, procedural preparation and support, emotional processing, play, self-expression, and empowerment to promote positive coping and adjustment for patients and families throughout the healthcare experience. As a member of the psychosocial care team, the CLS collaborates closely with multidisciplinary healthcare professionals to ensure the delivery of emotionally safe, family-centered care. In addition, the CLS takes an active role in developing and maintaining resources, planning and facilitating special events, and providing education and support throughout Children's Hospital Colorado (CHCO) and the community.

This position serves as a dedicated Child Life Specialist for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (CCBD) and pediatric infusion center at our Southern Region location, providing comprehensive psychosocial support to patients and families receiving hematology, oncology, and infusion services. Children and families navigating cancer and blood disorders often experience complex and lengthy treatment journeys, frequent medical interventions, repeated hospital visits, and significant emotional challenges. This role was established to provide consistent Child Life support across the continuum of care and enhance continuity for one of our most specialized patient populations.

The specialist will focus on psychosocial assessment and intervention, diagnosis education, procedural preparation and support, emotional processing, therapeutic play, developmental support, sibling and caregiver support, and ongoing coping throughout treatment. The specialist will partner closely with oncology physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, palliative care providers, and other interdisciplinary team members to ensure psychosocial needs are integrated into patient and family care plans. In addition, the specialist will provide support throughout diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, relapse, and end-of-life care when appropriate.

A unique component of this role includes management of the CCBD Activity Room and collaboration with multidisciplinary partners in the planning and implementation of Southern Region CCBD Wellness events. Through these efforts, the specialist will help create opportunities for connection, normalization, emotional expression, and resilience-building for patients and families. As a member of the Southern Region Child Life team, the specialist will join a close-knit, highly collaborative group that values connection, teamwork, innovation, and compassionate family-centered care. The Southern Region team is committed to supporting one another, fostering professional growth, and creating an environment where every team member feels valued and empowered to make a meaningful impact on patients, families, and colleagues.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Applies formal and informal techniques to assess patient/family acuity and psychosocial risk while adapting services to meet the patient/family's needs, goals, and preferences. Collect, interpret, and integrate relevant data into psychosocial assessment and plan of care.
• Provides education on the scope of child life services, the impact of healthcare on development, providing developmentally appropriate and emotionally safe medical care and professional boundaries for primary unit/population.
• Provides guidance, feedback, and professional skill development opportunities for child life students.
• Considers the impact of diagnosis, procedures, and treatment. Incorporates into interventions the anticipated impacts of illness, injury, and healthcare experiences.
• Facilitates basic interventions which allow children/youth to express feelings, process upsetting events, and explore positive coping skills while creating opportunities which strengthen the patient's self-esteem, independence, and understanding of medical diagnosis and care.
• Utilizes best practice and/or evidenced-based practice to ensure high level of care.
• Facilitates basic interventions including psychological preparation and/or procedure support to infants/children/youth undergoing medical procedures or surgeries to improve coping and understanding.
• Implements short-and long-term plans, resources, and/or programming to provide support for patients and families; monitors progress and evaluates overall developmental response to hospitalization and/or medical care.
• Collaborates with internal and external CHCO organizational partners and participates in special events including fundraising efforts, to foster hospital engagement.
• Documents in the patient electronic medical record to meet regulatory and departmental documentation and productivity requirements.
• Participates in departmental committees, quality improvement, professional development, and/or research initiatives/programs related to child life services.

Minimum Qualifications

• Degrees
  • Bachelor's
• Area of Study
  • Child Life, Child Life Dev, Counseling Psychology, Social Work, or Education.
• Experience

  • Successful completion of 600 hours of child life internship under the direct supervision of a certified child life specialist.

• Licenses & Certifications

  • Certified Child Life Specialist

Schedule/Shift

• 40hrs FT
• M-F 8-430p with occational evening/weekend support

Salary Information
Pay is dependent on applicant's relevant experience.

Annual Salary Range (Based on 40 hours worked per week): $60,667.08 to $91,000.63

Benefits Information
Here, you matter. As a Children's Hospital Colorado team member, you will receive a competitive pay and benefits package designed to take care of your needs that includes base pay, incentives, paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, company provided life and disability insurance, paid parental leave, 403b employer match (retirement savings), a robust wellness program, and access to professional development tools, including an education benefit to help you advance your career.

As part of our Total Rewards package, Children's Colorado offers an annual employee bonus program that rewards eligible team members based on organizational performance. If organizational goals are met for the year, the bonus is paid out the following April.

Children's Colorado delivers annual base pay increases to eligible team members based on their performance over the previous year.

EEO Statement
It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or any other status protected by law or regulation. Be aware that none of the questions are intended to imply illegal preferences or discrimination based on non-job-related information. The position is expected to stay open until the posted close date. Please submit your application as soon as possible as the posting is subject to close at any time once a sufficient pool of qualified applicants is obtained.

Colorado Residents: In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.