Child Life Specialist Position Available In Penobscot, Maine

Child Life Specialist at Northern Light Health in

Bangor, Maine, United States Job Description Northern Light Acadia Hospital Department:

Social Services Position is located:

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center Work Type:

Full Time Hours Per Week:

36.00

Work Schedule:

Summary:

Provides basic age appropriate situation-based assessments to foster positive coping with outpatient care activities through implementation of person and family centric intervention plans. Provides developmentally appropriate procedural education. Provides active preparation and support for interventional activities such as venipunctures / central access device access / initiation of IV therapy / bone marrow procedures / blood factor administration. Provides age appropriate educational materials to promote understanding of disease/treatment on part of patient/parent/siblings/extended family members. Works actively as a member of patient/family professional support team in a family centric manner. Works with hospital-based Child Life Specialists to assure positive continuity of care

• may involve occasional visits during inpatient stays.

Participates in daily patient care huddles, weekly team/care meetings, child/family care meetings, school visits, home visits, Bleeding Disorder Clinic, Survivorship Clinic and Camp Hope. Serves as a liaison with Northern Light Health Foundation in advancing support for patient/family activities/material needs. Occasional evening and weekend program-based activities may require flexing of scheduled hours.

Responsibilities:

+ When necessary adapts schedule to meet program needs + Adheres to work approach “We’re all in this together for the good of the patient.” + Recognizes and acts on importance of helping out when asked; asks for assistance when needed + Works to meet role and unit expectations in pursuit of best patient care + Minimizes interpersonal conflict; attempts to resolve conflict quickly and directly; avoids engaging in gossip / demeaning communication; engages supervisor’s assistance when necessary + Maintains positive cordial working relationships with providers; referring staff; community resource leads. + Works to streamline access to services at the center + Identifies new approaches to work to enhance delivery of service; maximize customer satisfaction + Identifies gaps in service delivery; helps to build programs to meet identified gaps + Serves as community resource regarding psychosocial issues of those affected by cancer and chronic blood conditions (i.e. completes school visits, participates in community education forums) + Participates actively in clinical case review

• discussions
• identifies case challenges, helps build solutions / accepts feedback openly / provides feedback respectfully + Participates actively in on-boarding new staff
• providing education on appropriate age based approaches in care delivery + Participates actively in new oncology provider & staff orientation to help them make use of Child Life Specialist resource for best patient care + Participates/takes lead in child life student intern/placement supervision + Child Life Specialist Service
• Initiation
• Routinely introduces role to each parent / child receiving care at the Center at time of first visit. For referrals
• contacts potential client/family in a timely and appropriate manner based on requests/identified needs/referral concerns. For any urgent / high priority request, contact is made at same day appointment / next available appointment / by phone. Phone calls regarding potential service needs are returned at minimum within 2 business days. + Child Life Specialist Service
• Assessments
• Assessments are accurate, thorough and appropriate to the service request or reason for referral; Assessments for a solid base for client work towards identified goals / address reason for referral; Assessments are useful to health care team in understanding clients’ capacities, limitations, supports, needs and opportunities. + Child Life Specialist Service
• Interventions
• Interventions are age appropriate, make good use of client strengths and are effective in helping client reach identified goals / successfully manage environment
• develop sense of mastery / addressing referral concerns; Relationship is sufficient to foster engagement and work towards goals. Interventions make good use of client/family, provider, staff and worker’s time. Referrals for service are appropriate and made in a manner that permits client to engage needed resource. + Child Life Specialist Service
• Team Work
• Highlights age based capacity for understanding; highlights developmental needs of child; informs of best approaches to learning and pacing for care routines. Develops protocols / approaches to interventional care useful to all team members to optimize child capacity to manage required care activities as effectively as possible. + Child Life Specialist Service
• Continuing Care
• Referrals for additional service are well timed; appropriate to the situation; effective in enabling client to make appropriate connection with alternate / adjunctive resource. Care is concluded in a manner that is clear to client based on recognition of goal completion, referring provider/care team. + Child Life Specialist Service
• Advocacy
• Advocacy efforts are appropriate to the situation; client needs and setting; are effective. + Child Life Specialist Service
• Continuing Care Transitions
• conversations surrounding changing needs are seen as useful by client/family in context of provider’s next step in care recommendations. + Child Life Specialist Service
• Groups
• May serve as an adjunct to OSW facilitation for school age peer group activity designed to enhance coping with chronic disease; participates actively in camp experience
• both in education role for staff and activity facilitation in the camp setting. + Child Life Specialist Service
• Communication
• documentation is timely (appropriate to clinical issues (“need to know”
• at time of service; ongoing follow up
• range (weekly to at minimum monthly)), clear and concise; collaborative efforts are effectively and timely. Works in a manner which preserves client right to privacy; shares relevant information on a need to know basis; maintains document security; follows release of information protocols. + Child Life Specialist Service
• Coverage
• collaborates with team to cover planned absences
• alerting to client needs requiring attention during absence. + Child Life Specialist Service
• Professionalism
• conducts self in professional manner; maintains certification; utilizes clinical consultation; participates as active health care team member representing the child life perspective; participates actively with the team to enhance the quality of service delivery.

Works to assure maintenance of professional boundaries. + Notifies appropriate supervisor of gaps/need for assistance in a timely manner + Self-identifies errors, reviews with supervisor and/or learns from mistakes; takes corrective action to limit re-occurrence + Offers to assist others with work completion as needed / requested; works from value

• “I can help”, does not state / act in a manner that communicates “not my job”. + Service Initiation
• Assessment (initiates; responds to identified needs); Referral (solicits and responds to referral for service from providers and staff); Group (supports OSW in recruitment and facilitation); Inquiries (responds to request for information regarding service offering
• community at large, individuals/family members receiving care at facility); Adult Care (works with OSW team to meet school age children’s needs when parents/custodial grandparents are undergoing cancer treatment and/or transitioning to hospice); follows established protocols for documenting service initiation and related activity. + Assessment
• Performs age and situation appropriate assessments through chart review, discussion wi