Duke University Hospital is consistently rated as one of the best in the United States and is known around the world for its outstanding care and groundbreaking research. Duke University Hospital has 957 inpatient beds and offers comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, including a regional emergency/trauma center; a major surgery suite containing 51 operating rooms; an endo-surgery center; an Ambulatory Surgery Center with nine operating rooms and an extensive diagnostic and interventional radiology area. In fiscal year 2018, Duke University Hospital admitted 42,916 patients and had 1,085,740 outpatient visits in fiscal year 2017.

U.S News & World Report named Duke University Hospital #1 in North Carolina and #1 in the Raleigh-Durham area in 2018-19.

Duke University Hospital is ranked in the top 20 nationally for seven adult specialties, including cardiology and heart surgery, nephrology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pulmonology, rheumatology, and urology.

In addition to its hospitals, Duke Health has an extensive, geographically dispersed network of outpatient facilities that include primary care offices, urgent care centers, multi-specialty clinics and outpatient surgery centers.

Location:

 Duke Hospital (Emergency Department) Durham, North Carolina

Hours:  

Evenings & rotating weekends until 11:00pm

General Description of the Job Class

Provide a variety of interventions for pediatric patients and families to promote coping skills, emotional health, and optimal development in the hospital setting.

Duties and Responsibilities of this Level

• Assess the emotional and medical needs of assigned patient and families to determine the support needed during the medical experience. Formulate a plan of interaction based on assessment of patient and family and present plan to team members at psychosocial rounds and team meetings. Document all interactions in medical record charts. Provide play/recreational activities for assigned patients consistent with developmental needs in order to normalize the environment and facilitate assessments.
• Utilize developmentally-appropriate methods for preparing children and families for diagnostic, treatment, and surgical procedures to optimize patients' understanding of their experience as well as their coping.
• Participate in activities to support family-centered and comprehensive care. Maintain on-going communication with physicians, nurses, unit and clinical staff in order to ensure a coordinated approach to patient care. Address and attempt to limit the disruptive effects of illness, clinic visits, and hospitalization.
• Provide in-service training to students, other staff, and professional groups in order to improve the practice of family-centered, developmentally-appropriate, and psychosocially-sound health care.
• Participate in programs for professional training and development; in order to enhance job performance. Perform other administrative and related duties incidental to the work described herein.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Interviewing Skills

Preference will be given to candidates with a mininum of 3 years experience 

Work independently with minimal supervision

Strong interpersonal skills

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Child Life, Counseling, Special Education, Recreation Therapy or directly related field. Due to professional exemption, equivalent experience cannot be substituted for bachelor's degree.

Experience

One year of experience working with hospitalized children or in an educational training program working with children preferred.

Degrees, Licensures, Certifications

Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) required within 6 months of hire.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.