The Child Life Specialist promotes effective coping through play, preparation, education, and self-expression activities. Provides emotional support for families and encourages optimum development of children facing a broad range of challenging experiences, particularly those related to healthcare and hospitalization. Provides information, support and guidance to parents, siblings, and other family members. Plays a vital role in educating caregivers, administrators, and the general public about the needs of children under stress.  This position supports patients and families in our surgery unit and our primary care outpatient clinic.  

Bachelor's degree in child development, child life, child and family studies or related field; completion of eligibility assessment by the Association for Child Life Professionals (ACLP); and successful completion of, at minimum, a 480-hour clinical child life internship under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist.

One year of recent work experience with children and families, prefer one year of paid experience as a Child Life Specialist. Knowledge and experience to ensure understanding of the basic issues of infant/child/adolescent development and behavior. Analytical skills necessary to assess patient and family needs, to establish a plan of care and deliver appropriate interventions. Ability to represent and communicate the role of child life to others. Ability to organize and prioritize work effectively across clinical settings. Ability to work as a contributing member of the multidisciplinary team. Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. Technical skills to effectively complete required professional documentation and correspondence. Basic supervisory skills to oversee Child Life program volunteers. Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) or granted acceptance to take next scheduled exam and attains certification within first year of employment. Maintains current Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers from one of the following programs: American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or the Military Network Training.

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is located in the heart of downtown Rochester, Minnesota, a vibrant, friendly city that provides a highly livable environment for more than 34,000 Mayo staff and students. The city is consistently ranked among the best places to live in the United States because of its affordable cost of living, healthy lifestyle, excellent school systems and exceptionally high quality of life.

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