Activity Coordinator

The Activity Coordinator provides opportunities for children to gain a sense of mastery, through play and learning experiences. The Activity Coordinator is responsible for providing therapeutic and diversionary play activities to an assigned group of pediatric patients and/or siblings to promote normalization of the hospital environment, positive adaptation to the hospital and a family centered care focus. Requires excellent communication, group management and organizational skills.

The Activity Coordinator will demonstrate a strong commitment to a team approach.

Qualifications:
Minimum Education
Associate's Degree Child development or related field (Required)

Minimum Work Experience
1 year job related experience working with children or two years of college education in child development or related field is required. (Required)

Required Skills/Knowledge
Knowledge of child and adolescent growth and development, high level of interpersonal communication skills, effective oral and written communication skills, ability to work independently and as a team member with proven knowledge of medical terminology. Candidate must have experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Functional Accountabilities
Hospital Environment/Developmental Needs

• Introduces patient programming and supportive services to patients, parents, and siblings

• Plans, facilitates and supervises group and spontaneous play opportunities for assigned patient care area(s)

• Encourages socialization and peer interaction between patients and families by organizing and providing a monthly calendar of scheduled activities for play spaces

• Supervise and/or monitor play activities for assigned patient care area(s)

• Maintains play space as a "safe", welcoming and supportive environment by ensuring medical procedures/consults/meetings occur outside of area

• Encourages caregiver involvement in play area activities for normalization and informs patients, families and health care team of available resources

• Provides input to the Child Life Specialist about observed specific needs of individual children; determine when the needs of individual children should be attended to by child life specialists, nursing and/or medical professionals and outside the general scope of the activity coordinator role

• Responsible for ongoing supervision and support to volunteers in playroom, play spaces or bedside

Developmentally Appropriate Activities

• Delivers toys/activities to patient rooms that support adjustment to hospitalization, encourage play and promote normal growth and development as requested by Child Life Specialist, Nursing or self-referral

• Provides one on one interaction with patients as determined by Child Life Specialist or self-referral

• Provides opportunities for choice and encourages involvement in decision making

• Recognizes and builds on strength of families by acknowledging and utilizing parent's knowledge of patient's abilities, interests and needs

• Identifies patients for volunteer support and provides guidance to volunteers in the selection of age/developmentally appropriate activities

• Engages and collaborates with hospital programs and ancillary services to enhance patient support as appropriate

Patient/Family Environment

• Organizes play space to be a welcoming environment for patients and families

• Inventories, restocks and maintains play space materials in collaboration with Child Life Specialist

• Cleans toys/games/equipment daily in accordance with hospital toy washing policy

• Completes required documentation of Toy Cleaning Log

• Facilitates contact with EVS, Facilities and Bio-Med to ensure play space and equipment are well maintained

• Adheres to hospital policy regarding visitors and siblings in play space

• Safely assists patients to and from play space and special events

• Reports concerns/safety incidents to Director of the department for follow up and documents safety concerns per department and hospital policy

Professional Environment & Standards

• Meet with Department Director for regular supervision, preparing agenda and discussing areas of concern

• Respond to requests for services as stated in department standards

• Participate in Child Life meetings as appropriate and in departmental staff meetings

• Meet all departmental requirements for chart recording, statistics, and other professional documentation and submit documents in a timely manner

• Participate in departmental performance improvement activities

• Plan absences in collaboration with Child Life and Integrative Care team members

• Participate in professional development activities

• Participate in planning of community outreach and advocacy events