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Seeking Breakthrough Makers

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) offers countless ways to change lives. Our diverse community of more than 20,000 Breakthrough Makers will inspire you to pursue passions, develop expertise, and drive innovation.

At CHOP, your experience is valued; your voice is heard; and your contributions make a difference for patients and families. Join us as we build on our promise to advance pediatric care—and your career.


CHOP does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or any other legally protected categories in any employment, training, or vendor decisions or programs. CHOP recognizes the critical importance of a workforce rich in varied backgrounds and experiences and engages in ongoing efforts to achieve that through equally varied and non-discriminatory means.


A Brief Overview
Provides expert child life services and effectively provides direct day-to-day supervision of staff. Responsible for providing and assuring delivery of safe, efficient, cost effective, and age specific child life services. Responsible for and deploys unit strategies designed to meet unit(s) and department clinical, financial and quality initiatives.

Schedule: Wednesday & Thursday 1p – 1:30a, Saturday 11a – 11:30p and the 2nd Tuesday of pay period 10a – 6:30p)

What you will do

• Clinical Excellence:
• Provides expert child life services to patients and family members, including developmentally-appropriate therapeutic activities, education, procedural preparation, coping facilitation, and support as it relates to their illness and medical treatment.
• Serves as a clinical resource for other child life staff.
• Accurately assesses, individualizes, and evaluates plan of care based on family/patient physical, developmental, emotional, and recreational needs.
• Delivers services founded on CHOP’s principles of Family-Centered Care, actively seeking involvement and support of patients and/or family members in the plan of care.
• Collaborates with and communicates plan of care with interdisciplinary team members.
• Demonstrates compliance with and precepts staff on patient care documentation standards. Implements systems that incorporate evidenced-based practice and professional practice standards.
• Executes unit plans to improve patient/family experience by identifying trends and establishing systems to improve.
• Partners with Child Life Clinical Expert and front line staff to coordinate all facets of patient care planning with multidisciplinary team.
• Staff Development and Support:
• In collaboration with Manager, provides input into the selection of unit child life staff.
• Provides unit orientation and training for new hires, assuring all staff have training to match the clinical responsibilities.
• Conducts competency observations and provides clinical supervision of staff.
• In collaboration with the Manager, monitors staff performance, upholding the rules of conduct and core values through coaching, goal setting, performance reviews, and disciplinary action
• Responsible for approving/denying time off requests and scheduling unit staff in accordance with the master schedule, collaborating with manager to ensure sufficient staffing in response to staffing pattern changes, FMLA, vacancies, and holidays.
• Responsible for approving bi-weekly time sheets.
• Participates in the development of performance standards with department leadership.
• Creates a work climate which achieves high level employee engagement.
• Mentors and role models appropriate clinical practice, customer service, team work and problem solving behaviors in an environment that fosters ICARE values and the organizational service standards.
• Implements innovative staff recognition programs that acknowledge staff accomplishment at the unit/program level in collaboration with division leadership, fostering and maintaining an environment where staff feel valued, appreciated, and recognized.
• Practices within a shared decision making environment, promoting staff participation on unit/departmental committees.
• Implements and enforces hospital and departmental policies and procedures.
• In collaboration with manager, establishes and upholds clear and consistent role and responsibilities for all child life staff within the assigned unit.
• Builds on strengths and opportunities for the team, creating and supporting an environment that fosters teamwork, cooperation, respect, and diversity.
• Works with manager to identify and implement solutions to team needs.
• Operations Support/Program Development:
• Serves as a point person for unit(s) as assigned.
• May facilitate a department committee and/or group reflective practice.
• May participate on hospital wide and/or unit committees.
• Participates in the review of Policies & Procedures to reflect hospital and professional practice standards, as assigned.
• Incorporate evidenced-based practice and professional practice standards.
• Upholds unit plans to improve patient/family experience.
• Identifies opportunities for improvement and collaborates with manager to develop an action plan to improve patient outcomes.
• Leads regularly scheduled group meetings in collaboration with and/or as designated by the manager for an assigned team.
• Leads collaborative efforts to support continuous and measurable outcomes through clinical practice, education, research/evidence-based practice, and consultation.
• Quality/Process Improvement:
• Collaborates with department leadership team to develop and uphold plans to improve patient/family experiences which includes identifying trends and establishing systems to improve.
• Partners with staff to execute the action plans for measurable continuous improvement in care outcomes.
• Ensures services meet professional standards and regulatory requirements (e.g., Joint Commission, CMS, ACLP, etc.).
• Facilitates department unit staff surrounding development of goals and producing and tracking measurable outcomes.
• Assures sufficient training and supervision of staff.
• Works collaboratively with manager to identify measurable outcomes for the team that are in line with the nursing and the enterprise strategic plans.
• Supports evidence-based practice by leading and supporting system improvements and measuring outcomes with concise metrics.
• Supports and resources evidence-based practice planning and implementation of educational program/projects.
• Financial Stewardship:
• Speaks to department financial needs and philanthropic benefits with potential donors, as needed.
• Collaborates with department leadership and Development Department staff to provide necessary information for grant and donor proposals, as needed.
• Partners with department leadership to identify and execute annual unit based quality improvement initiatives that result in a measurable impact on quality, cost and resource utilization.
• Partners with the manager to assure efficient and cost effective utilization of staffing and hospital resources at the unit level for day to day operations, unit and department programming, adhering to budget constraints.
• Ensures staff compliance to systems that promote quality, efficient and cost effective care.

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree - Required

Experience Qualifications

• At least five (5) years experience as a child life specialist - Required
• At least seven (7) years a child life specialist - Preferred
• At least two (2) years working at a childrens hospital - Preferred

Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of infant, child, and adolescent growth and development.
• Experience working with infants, children, and adolescents.
• Ability to work independently.
• Perform work according to CHOP policies and procedures, professional standards of care, and applicable laws.
• Ability to set goals, prioritize, and achieve results in accordance with the highest standards.
• Provides care with sensitivity and respect.
• Understands and promotes CHOP's mission.
• Ability to prioritize and complete duties in a timely and organized manner.
• Works collaboratively and in a positive manner with others.
• Ability to train and supervise staff, students, and volunteers.
• Ability to demonstrate clinical leadership skills.

Licenses and Certifications

• Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) - Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) - upon hire - Required