Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, a subsidiary of Massachusetts General Hospital, is renowned as one of the largest acute care hospitals in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire and Southern Maine. At Wentworth-Douglass, we value people who contribute to patient-centered care that enhances community health; we recognize and reward those who share our values and transform our patients' lives. We invite you to explore opportunities, cultivate community wellness and professional growth.

1. Able to assess and meaningfully interact with children and families.
o Recognizes and addresses the importance of therapeutic play in facilitating a child's mastery of and coping with the healthcare experience.
o Uses developmentally appropriate play as a primary tool in assessing and meeting psychosocial needs.
o Matches interactions and activities to developmental level, emotional state, and individual needs.
o Applies formal and informal assessment techniques to determine developmental level and emotional state.
o Verbalizes current developmental theories and research as a foundation for the development of specific interventions.
o Supports the central role of the family, valuing strengths and needs when implementing child life services.
o Demonstrates respect for sociocultural diversity.
o Works collaboratively with the medical team to formulate and implement goals based on individual assessments and child life practice.
2. Provides a safe, therapeutic, and healing environment for infants, children, youth, and families.
. Establishes and maintains therapeutic relationships with patients and families.
o Creates an environment where play is valued.
o Plans and implements activities that support children's cognitive, emotional, and social development.
o Sets up and organizes activity areas appropriately and safely based on developmental level.
o Understands and provides input about the effect of environmental design and layout on comfort, healing, security, and normalization.
3. Able to assist patients and families in coping with the stress of hospitalization, illness, new diagnosis, death and/or loss.
. Facilitates opportunities for play in order to decrease distress and increase effective coping.
o Provides techniques for and assistance with effective coping strategies based on developmental level, previous experience, culture, family dynamics, and emotional state.
o Determines and prioritizes needs and the scope and depth of child life services for each patient.
o Empathizes objectively and maintains appropriate boundaries.
4. Able to provide teaching to children and families in order to increase understanding and psychological preparation for experiences.
. Articulates learning styles and needs of individuals of different developmental levels, emotional states, and of diverse backgrounds and experiences.
o Identifies teaching literature, play materials, teaching aids, and techniques for different age groups and learning styles in order to increase knowledge and support emotional needs.
o Describes common fears, misconceptions, and concerns of individuals in each developmental stage.
o Assesses knowledge level, misconceptions, previous experience, and learning needs of patients and families.
o Describes information processing theory and its implications for psychological preparation.
o Uses accurate and developmentally appropriate teaching aids and techniques so that knowledge is increased and emotional needs are supported.
o Recognizes verbal and nonverbal cues and adapts teaching styles accordingly.
o Uses minimally threatening, developmentally supportive language.
o Describes sensory information, sequence, timing, and duration of event.
o Facilitates planning, rehearsal, and implementation of coping strategies.

o Able to effectively function as a member of the healthcare team. Identifies the unique contribution of families and professionals in the provision of care.
o Communicates concisely with other professionals, integrating theory and evidence-based practice to obtain and share pertinent information.
o Demonstrates respect for the viewpoints of other professionals.
5. Able to develop, implement, and evaluate child life services.
. Obtains, utilizes, and maintains equipment and supplies in a cost effective manner.
o Prioritizes and organizes work for accurate and timely outcome and manageable workload.
o Follows organizational structure policies and procedures, providing a positive impact on patient care.
o Complies concise and organized reports or communicates a summary of data, activity, and program goals and accomplishments within established time limits.
o Able to identify patient care needs and create appropriate programs and/or educational materials.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities.

• The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

Experience Minimum Required

• Less than one year

Experience Preferred/Desired

• Three to five years

Education Minimum Required

• Bachelors Degree in child life or related field if holds a masters in child life specialist.

Education Preferred/Desired

• Masters Degree in child life specialist or related field

Special Skills Minimum Required

• Certification in Childlife Specialist desired. Clinical background, computer literacy with internet and Microsoft Office.
• CCLS-within 1st year of hire