Child Life Specialist - NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital *F/T 35 hrs per week, Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM*

NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital at NYU Langone Health is one of the nation's leading orthopedic and rheumatologic, specialty hospitals dedicated to the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. The hospital provides some of the most advanced orthopedic programs in the region for musculoskeletal disorders and the largest pediatric orthopedic program in New York City. The hospital is consistently ranked among the leading orthopedic centers nationwide by U.S. News and World Report. Our expert physicians combine extensive experience and research with the latest technology for bone and joint problems that affect patient's ability to function. We specialize in the following areas: Orthopedic Surgery, Rheumatology, Neurology, and Radiology. At NYU Langone Health, equity and inclusion are fundamental values. We strive to be a place where our exceptionally talented faculty, staff, and students of all identities can thrive. We embrace inclusion and individual skills, ideas, and knowledge.

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Position Summary

We have an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Child Life Specialist.

In this role, the successful candidate is responsible for providing child life services for designated areas (patients and families) in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team and under the general guidance of designated supervisor/manager(s).

Job Responsibilities

• Documents services provided to patients/families appropriately, effectively, and in a timely manner. Maintains data collection and dissemination as required by Hospital and departmental policy.
• Upholds professional code of ethical responsibility (CLC, 2011) including the establishment of therapeutic relationships with patients and families that are clear, caring, and sets boundaries.
• Participates in ongoing professional development to enhance job performance and contribute to the accomplishment of child life services and to contribute to hospital mission and goals. Demonstrates the ability to evaluate own performance and integrate feedback into practice. Annually develops professional goals with measurable objectives. Prioritizes, plans and organizes work for timely outcomes. Identifies and documents activities to maintain current knowledge, clinical practice, and professional certification.
• Participates in ongoing student and/or volunteer management, program development and evaluation to best meet patient/family and unit/service needs. Develops competencies in teaching, supervising, and providing feedback for students and volunteers as assigned.
• Builds and maintains positive, collaborative relationships with interdisciplinary team members, integrating goals and plans to promote optimal patient care, safety, family-centeredness, and patient/family satisfaction. Participates in team conferences, rounds, staff meetings, new staff member orientation, and in-service education as appropriate. Recommends consults/referrals when patient needs are beyond the scope of child life.
• Provides education regarding illness/condition, treatment, and coping techniques to patients, family members, and the larger community as appropriate. Assists in the preparation of patients and families for surgical, medical, and diagnostic procedures using developmentally appropriate and medically accurate teaching tools and techniques with a goal of increasing knowledge and decreasing anxiety. Incorporates coping techniques, education, and reinforcement into daily interventions. Assesses effectiveness of coping or procedural education based on patient experience.
• Provides, through direct and indirect involvement, a safe and therapeutic environment for individuals and groups. Selects a safe, developmentally appropriate supply of toys and equipment to address the needs and goals of the assigned area and population. Assists departmental staff members in the effective purchase, donation, delivery, and storage of materials utilized in programming. Collaborates with Environmental Services and others to promote a clean, safe, and functional space for use by children and families. Identifies environmental safety hazards and corresponding preventive/protective measures.
• Facilitates positive relationships with family members, using knowledge and resources to accommodate cultural needs and to bridge differences. Seeks involvement and support of family members in their child's child life and health care team goals, matching expectations with family needs and values. Extends support and offers counsel to family members with respect to their own stress and needs. Assists in the identification and utilization of internal and community resources for families. Provides education to parents regarding the patients and/or siblings developmental needs and responses to illness/injury/hospitalization. Supports siblings through developmentally appropriate play, expression, education and visitation.
• Provides opportunities for and facilitates a variety of group and/or individual recreational and play activities that promote normalization, development, learning, self-expression, and coping. Recognizes and describes the developmental and psychosocial components of various therapeutic play and expressive activities in facilitating patients mastery and coping with the health care experience. Provides leadership and supervision for volunteers and students in the provision of safe and effective play activities.
• Demonstrates, explains and provides stress reduction techniques before, during, and/or after stressful experiences to facilitate adaptive coping in consideration of developmental, emotional, situational, and behavioral factors. Encourages and supports patients emotional expression in order to promote understanding and mastery of health care experiences. Provides orientation to healthcare routines, environment, and personnel.
• Utilizes knowledge and resources to assess, plan and prioritize appropriate child life and interdisciplinary interventions. Seeks and assimilates information from team members, patient, family, and medical record to perform needs assessment. Assesses patients development, temperament, coping style and adjustment using knowledge of child development and behavior, disease/injury, treatment, healthcare stressors, cultural and family systems. Uses informal as well as standardized assessment techniques (e.g., PRAP) as appropriate. Determines and prioritizes scope and depth of child life services recommended for each patient based on knowledge of the variables affecting coping. Communicates care plan to physician, interdisciplinary team members, patient and family as appropriate.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelors degree in Child Life, Early Childhood Education or a closely related field. CCLS certification or CCLS certification eligible by the Child Life Certifying Committee, including successful completion of full-time internship in a pediatric healthcare setting under the supervision of a certified child life specialist.

Preferred Qualifications

Masters degree in Child Life and at least one (1) year experience as a Certified Child Life Specialist in a pediatric healthcare setting. Work experience with children, youth, and families in non-healthcare settings also preferred.

Qualified candidates must be able to effectively communicate with all levels of the organization.

NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital provides its staff with far more than just a place to work. Rather, we are an institution you can be proud of, an institution where you'll feel good about devoting your time and your talents.

At NYU Langone Health, we are committed to supporting our workforce and their loved ones with a comprehensive benefits and wellness package. Our offerings provide a robust support system for any stage of life, whether it's developing your career, starting a family, or saving for retirement. The support employees receive goes beyond a standard benefit offering, where employees have access to financial security benefits, a generous time-off program and employee resources groups for peer support. Additionally, all employees have access to our holistic employee wellness program, which focuses on seven key areas of well-being: physical, mental, nutritional, sleep, social, financial, and preventive care. The benefits and wellness package is designed to allow you to focus on what truly matters. Join us and experience the extensive resources and services designed to enhance your overall quality of life for you and your family.

NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital is an equal opportunity employer and committed to inclusion in all aspects of recruiting and employment. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration. We require applications to be completed online.

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NYU Langone Health provides a salary range to comply with the New York state Law on Salary Transparency in Job Advertisements. The salary range for the role is $83,777.57 - $91,358.19 Annually. Actual salaries depend on a variety of factors, including experience, specialty, education, and hospital need. The salary range or contractual rate listed does not include bonuses/incentive, differential pay or other forms of compensation or benefits.

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