New

Child Life Specialist

Children's National Medical Center
$54,683.20 - $91,145.60
United States, D.C., Washington
111 Michigan Avenue Northwest (Show on map)
Jun 30, 2026
Kids Are Our Everything. Department 10286 Child Life and Integrated Care Pay Range $54,683.20 - $91,145.60 Provides therapeutic services and play activities to promote the physical, emotional and developmental growth of patients and minimize potential stress and trauma for patients and families Minimum Education Bachelor's Degree Bachelor's degree in Child Life, Child Development or related field. (Required) Master's Degree Master's degree in Child Life, Child Development or related field. (Preferred) Required Skills/Knowledge Knowledge of child and adolescent growth and development based on the theories of development, including but not limited to Piaget, Erikson, Bowlby, and Vygotsky Knowledge of age-appropriate play and ability to utilize play as a mechanism for patient-understanding of the hospital environment and experiences Ability to assess patient's development and response to hospital environment and provide developmentally appropriate interventions Ability to discuss medical experiences in age-appropriate, child-friendly language Understanding of basic human anatomy and physiology and knowledge of medical terminology Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple tasks simultaneously, utilizing critical thinking and problem solving skills Ability to comfortably work with internal and external customers from diverse social, cultural and educational backgrounds. Ability to identify and work collaboratively with diverse teams. Ability to listen, be empathetic, motivate and follow-through, and eager to seize challenges and resolve issues Functional Accountabilities Direct Patient Care 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 knowledge and resources to create developmental plan and implement appropriate child life and interdisciplinary interventions. Provides therapeutic interactions and activities which offer emotional support, opportunities for continued growth and development, and diversion from the hospital experience 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 Uses preparation and medical play opportunities to help alleviate misconceptions and increase understanding of hospital procedures Provides procedural support to patients in order to foster increased coping skills and evaluates effectiveness of interventions to better inform and individualize future support Provides education and support to siblings and parents related to hospital visits, effects of hospitalization, procedures, new diagnoses, etc. Prioritizes own caseload daily in order to meet both child and departmental needs Participates in the weekday, weekend, and on-call rotation, as assigned Regularly maintains patient care documentation in accordance with standards Patient Experience Fosters environment for patients and families to feel heard and understood, anticipates patient and family needs, and ensures needs are met. Collaborates with child life team and other professionals to provide activities, special visitors, events, and entertainment to patients and families hospital-wide Encourages and coordinates patients' and families' participation in activities and special events to support normalization and coping Supports and chaperones special visitors to assigned areas of hospital Assists child life team, assigned area of hospital, or department with intake and distribution of donations of toys and other comforting items Interdisciplinary Collaboration Collaborates with interdisciplinary healthcare team in order to provide optimal care and advocate for developmentally-appropriate patient and family needs Uses formal and informal methods of communication to share assessments, interventions, and evaluations, as appropriate Maintains communication with interdisciplinary team members to coordinate care and engage in consultation regarding patient care Provides referrals to internal or community resources for patients and families as needed Program Development Facilitates patient interaction for volunteers. Presents in-service trainings on role and impact of child life to departments or assigned areas, increasing understanding of importance of family-centered care. Adheres to budget set and outlined by Child Life Manager. Manages child life resources of assigned area of hospital and ensures consistent supply of resources. Attends and participates in opportunities that complement and enhance professional development. Professional Development With Child Life Manager, establishes annual goals and independently works to meet those goals. Participates as member of assigned area or department committees as deemed appropriate. Develops and maintains professional skills and knowledge by attending seminars, workshops, conferences, etc. Maintains a willingness to learn and openness to new ideas and practices. The disclosed salary range includes the minimum and maximum rates within which Children's National believes an individual's base pay rate will fall for this position. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the maximum of the pay range. The exact pay rate for this position will be based on a variety of factors in alignment with the Children's National compensation philosophy. These factors are legitimate and non-discriminatory including, but not limited to, the current market conditions; organizational needs; the individual's combination of prior work experience, level of education, knowledge, skills, and other qualifications. Children's National is committed to providing a fair and competitive total rewards package to each of our employees. This base salary range does not include our comprehensive benefits package or any additional compensation for which this position may be eligible. Childrens National Hospital is an equal opportunity employer that evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or other characteristics protected by law. The "Know Your Rights" poster is available here: and the pay transparency policy is available here:Know Your RightsPay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster. Please note that it is the policy of Children's National Hospital to ensure a "drug-free" work environment: a workplace free from the illegal use, possession or distribution of controlled substances (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act), or the misuse of legal substances, by all staff (management, employees and contractors). Though recreational and medical marijuana are now legal in the District of Columbia, Children's National and its affiliates maintain the right, in accordance with our policy, to enforce a drug-free workplace, including prohibiting recreational or prescribed marijuana.