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Job Description
Position Title: Child Life Specialist
Location: Riley Hospital
Shift: Full-Time, Rotating
Position Overview:
A Child Life Specialist (CLS) is an integral member of the healthcare team dedicated to addressing the psychosocial and emotional needs of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults during their hospital stay. The CLS supports patients and families in adjusting to illness, injury, or loss across critical, acute, and outpatient settings. Through developmentally appropriate interventions, the CLS educates, prepares, and supports families to enhance their coping skills and promote emotionally safe, family-centered care.
Key Responsibilities:
Assess the psychosocial, developmental, and cultural needs of patients and families.
Use developmentally appropriate interventions to educate, prepare, and support families.
Advocate for emotionally safe, family-centered care in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.
Support families through illness, injury, or loss, fostering coping and resilience.
Collaborate with healthcare providers to integrate psychosocial support into patient care.
Document interventions and family interactions thoroughly.
Qualifications & Requirements:
Bachelor's Degree in a related field.
0-3 years of relevant experience.
ACLP Certified Child Life Specialist Certification required within one year of hire.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through the American Heart Association required.
Join Our Team:
If you are passionate about making a positive impact on the emotional well-being of children and families during challenging times, we encourage you to apply. At Riley Hospital, we are dedicated to providing compassionate, family-centered care and supporting our team members in their professional growth. Join us in making a difference every day.
To learn more about our benefits, visit: Benefits Designed For You
- Indiana University Health has nearly 40,000 team members, including more than 3,600 physicians and 1,200 advanced practice providers, and we’re home to the largest nursing network in Indiana with more than 9,000 nursing team members at over 800 sites of care.
- IU Health is ranked No. 1 in Indiana by U.S. News & World Report, Riley Children's Health is ranked among the top children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
- A unique partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine – one of the nation’s largest medical schools – gives patients access to groundbreaking research and innovative treatments, and it offers team members access to the latest science and the very best training – advancing healthcare for all.
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With 15 hospitals, including seven with Magnet designation and eight with Pathways to Excellence designation, our team members are leading the way through excellence.
- At Indiana University Health, your personal and professional growth is a top priority. You will have access to many diverse opportunities to learn and develop in meaningful ways that matter most to you, such as advanced clinical training, leadership development, promotion opportunities and cross training development.
- Indiana University Health is invested in the lives of Hoosiers, leading the transformation of healthcare to make Indiana one of the nation’s healthiest states.