Child Life Specialist Utah Valley

Job Description

Full-time (40 hrs/wk)

Interacts directly with pediatric patients, families and other health team members and facilitates age-appropriate interactions and activities to help make the health care experience easier for patients and families. Reduces patient and family distress, increases effective patient and family coping, fosters patient independence, and promotes optimum development. Provides supervision to volunteers, child life pre‑internship students and child life assistants.

“A Day in the Life of a Child Life Specialist”

• Pay Rate: Based on experience
• Shift Details:
  • Variable hours throughout the week (Days, Afternoons, Evenings etc).
  • One weekend shift required each week.
  • Primarily at Utah Valley Hospital but may float to other Intermountain Hospitals (American Fork, Riverton or Primary Children’s Lehi) to help provide coverage as needed.
  • Utah Valley needs: On‑Call for Imaging / Sedation / Infusion and availability to pick up open ED shifts, supporting children of adult consults.
• Department: Child Life at Utah Valley Hospital
• Additional Details: Must be a certified Child Life Specialist with active certification.
• Previous Emergency Department, bereavement support and trauma experience in the Child Life field would be helpful.

• Bachelor’s degree. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution. Degree will be verified.
• Documentation of a successfully completed 600‑hour internship supervised by a Child Life Specialist.
• Child Life Certification from Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP). Documentation required or eligible for Child Life Certification (to be obtained within 15 months of hire date).
• Experience with pediatric patients in a medical, hospital or behavioral health setting.
• Experience in Child Life Core Competencies including but not limited to: establishing supportive relationships; meeting needs of child and family members, with a focus on social, emotional, and cognitive development; providing education to and communicating with children, families, and team members; providing coping support and comfort management; guiding children in therapeutic play techniques; ongoing assessment and written documentation of clinical care.
• Computer experience in word processing, spreadsheets, and databases or similar applications.

• Accurately assess, prioritize, and document pediatric patient and family care.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate effective pediatric patient and family centered health care plans.
• Provide developmentally appropriate education, psychological procedural preparation, coping support, comfort management, and play opportunities to pediatric patients and families.
• Participate in selection, supervision, and training of new hires, students and volunteers.
• Provide education for staff (e.g., in‑services, newsletter articles, etc.).
• Assist with community outreach and Foundation partnerships.
• Adhere to Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) Child Life Code of Ethics.
• Meet requirements outlined in child life department expectations.

• Pediatrics
• Training and mentoring
• Writing documentation
• Communication
• Relationship building
• Taking initiative
• Critical thinking
• Teamwork
• Growth Mindset
• Accountability

• Master’s Degree Preferred.
• Registered Behavior Technician or Behavioral Health Experience preferred.
• Experience working with Autism and related disabilities or behavioral challenges preferred.
• One year experience with pediatric patients in a medical, hospital or behavioral health setting.
• Work experience as a child life assistant.
• Experience as a child life pre‑internship/practicum student.
• Supervising volunteers while working with children and adolescents.
• Spanish speaking.

• Frequent interactions with patient care providers, patients, and visitors that require employee to verbally communicate as well as hear and understand spoken information, alarms, needs, and assess issues quickly and accurately, particularly during emergency situations to maintain safety.
• Ongoing need for employee to see and read information, documents, monitors, identify…