Submission For The Position: Child Life Specialist - (Job Number: 23020097)

Child Life Specialist - Children of Adult Patients
Day Shift: M-F 8am-4:30pm; Time is split between the BSW Grapevine and Irving Campuses
Baylor Scott & White Health Medical Center-Grapevine: 1650 W College St, Grapevine, Texas 76051
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Irving : 2001 N. MacArthur Boulevard, Irving, Texas 75061

• Join our unique, non-traditional team of experienced Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS), exclusively supporting well-children loved by seriously/terminally ill adult patients, in adult hospitals with world-renowned Baylor Scott & White Health.
• Qualifications: Must currently be certified through the ACLP (the Association of Child Life Professionals), as a CCLS (Certified Child Life Specialist) and have 3 years' paid experience as a CCLS.
• In addition to the BSW Benefits that start on the first day of employment, we're offering a $3,000 sign-on BONUS.

JOB SUMMARY
The Palliative Care Child Life Specialist 1 (PC CLS) utilizes an expansive knowledge of child development, advanced knowledge of childhood trauma and grief, along with their work experiences and exceptional foundational skillset from traditional pediatric Child Life practice, to provide support to the adult patient, and other involved adults with children (ages 0-18 yrs), who are experiencing the serious medical condition of the adult patient. After completing an assessment with the adults, the PC CLS meets with the children to initiate developmentally-appropriate discussion and therapeutic interventions designed to assess and enhance their coping, promote knowledge, address concerns, and prepare them for upcoming situations with their loved one. The PC CLS provides education to adults and children including: disclosure and explanation of the medical condition, preparation for and/or bereavement support following a death, typical behavioral and emotional responses to stress and trauma, red flag behaviors, information about variations of grief, and behavioral indications for a counseling referral.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE ROLE

• Serves on the Supportive & Palliative Care service within the System and attends daily and/or weekly team meetings at assigned campus(es), as well as palliative care training.
• Meets with the adult patient and/or other involved adults to assess psychosocial needs of children and their families, prior to implementation of therapeutic interventions.
• Knows about and provides age developmentally-appropriate explanation of key aspects of serious illness or injury to children, their parents or other involved adults including: diagnosis teaching, anticipatory grief, healthy coping strategies, death, grief after loss and bereavement.
• Implements developmentally and situationally-appropriate bibliotherapy and therapeutic interventions for children loved by the seriously ill or injured adult patient to: promote understanding, teach coping strategies, provide normalcy, and to serve as an outlet for expression of feelings.
• Identifies and reports to Child Protective Services, concerns for possible verbal, physical, neglectful, emotional and/or sexual abuse of children receiving support from Palliative Care Child Life services.
• Initiates legacy and memory-making activities for the entire family; and advocates for children to have the choice to visit and/or say goodbye to their dying or deceased loved one, when developmentally and situationally-appropriate.
• Facilitates developmentally-appropriate grief and bereavement interventions for children, preceding and/or following the death of the adult patient including; disclosure of the death, preparation for funeral or memorial services, and assessment of child's developmentally-appropriate understanding of death as well as their coping strategies.
• Provides education for the adult patient and/or other involved adults including typical vs. atypical coping, common concerns of children, common behavioral changes, as well as information and resources for additional community and professional support services.
• Educates medical staff serving adult patients with serious illness or injury about; Palliative Care Child Life services, identifying families with children who may benefit from those services, and bedside support for grieving children.
• Participates in development of best practices, procedures and processes for the Palliative Care Child Life team.

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

• Possesses expansive knowledge of child development, Child Life theory and evidence-based practice, as well as childhood trauma and grief and therapeutic interventions
• Demonstrates exceptional verbal and non-verbal communication skills including; developmentally-appropriate verbiage, facial expressions, active listening, emotional regulation, empathy, social awareness, relationship management, self-awareness, affective matching and presentation skills.
• Possesses effective time-management and prioritization skills for all Child Life tasks and responsibilities, as well as comfort and confidence, often while working independently or with minimal supervision.
• Displays cultural skill and is respectful of adult patients, families and medical staff with diverse spiritual, ethnic, language, educational and socio-economic differences.
• Proactively seeks out opportunities to provide education to medical staff about Palliative Care Child Life services, and children's unique responses to a loved one's serious parental illness medical condition and hospitalization, end-of-life and grief responses.
• Advocates for psychosocial well-being of children by: promoting open and honest communication, educating medical staff about the need for and importance of allowing children to make bedside visits on all units, providing opportunities for children to say goodbye, and inclusion in memorializing their loved one.
• Manages the intense emotional stress inherent when working with children and families experiencing serious illness or injury, end-of-life, death and bereavement.
• Possesses excellent documentation skills with appropriate verbiage, punctuation, spelling and professional tone.
• Ability to wear PPE (personal protective equipment) including head cover, mask, gown, gloves, shoe covers and any other specified covering.

BENEFITS
Our competitive benefits package includes the following

• Immediate eligibility for health and welfare benefits
• 401(k) savings plan with dollar-for-dollar match up to 5%
• Tuition Reimbursement
• PTO accrual beginning Day 1

Note: Benefits may vary based upon position type and/or level
QUALIFICATIONS

• EDUCATION - Bachelor's
• EXPERIENCE - 3 Years of Experience

CERTIFICATION/LICENSE/REGISTRATION

• Cert Child Life Specialist (CCLS)
• Basic Life Support (BLS): BLS within 30 days or hire or transfer.