We are so glad you are interested in joining Sutter Health!
Organization:
PAMF-Palo Alto Medical Foundation ALD
Position Overview:
The Child Life Specialist – Ambulatory Care, Education & Consultation works under the direction of Pediatrics Service Line Directors and/or service line clinician leadership and functions primarily as a consultant supporting ambulatory pediatric services.
This position is responsible for developing, standardizing, and scaling child life practices across outpatient settings through consultation, education, and training rather than routine direct patient assignment. The role emphasizes creation of training and education toolkits using a “train-the-trainer” model, enabling multidisciplinary staff across multiple service lines to embed child life principles into everyday ambulatory care.
The Child Life Specialist serves as a subject matter expert and consultant to clinicians, nursing, medical assistants, and operational leaders by providing hands-on demonstrations, coaching, and guidance related to developmentally appropriate communication, procedural preparation, coping strategies, positioning, distraction techniques, and behavior-reward approaches tailored to ambulatory workflows.
Direct patient interaction may occur episodically and strategically for purposes of staff modeling, piloting new approaches, and supporting education and training initiatives. The primary responsibility of this role is consultative, educational, and programmatic in nature, with the goal of supporting teams to independently deliver child-centered care across ambulatory settings.
Job Description:
EDUCATION:
- Bachelor's: Bachelor's In Child Life, Child Development, Psychology, or another area with all necessary coursework for Clinical Child Life Certification completed
- Other: Successful completion of Child Life Internship that meets the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) requirement of Clinical Child Life Certification
CERTIFICATION & LICENSURE:
- CCLS-Certified Child Life Specialist within 1 year
- BLS-Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider
TYPICAL EXPERIENCE:
5 years recent relevant experience.
SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE:
- Working knowledge of child growth and development, family dynamics, therapeutic play, developmental assessment, the learning process, group process and behavior management, the reactions of children and their families to illness and healthcare encounters, interventions to support coping, collaboration with other healthcare professionals, basic medical terminology and children's illnesses.
- Ability to implement therapeutic play activities for individual children and groups, apply knowledge of child growth and development and assess children's behaviors and needs.
- Ability to utilize and teach coping strategies as well as to utilize appropriate supervisory skills with volunteers, students and interns. Able to prioritize multiple demands independently, and in a self-directed manner, in an ever-changing environment.
- Must have interpersonal communication skills along with the ability to direct the day-to-day activities of patients, their families, students, volunteers and interns.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with children of all ages, families and hospital staff, both verbally and in writing.
- Interpersonal and organizational skills and ability to independently handle crisis and emergent situations.
Job Shift:
Varied
Schedule:
Part Time
Days of the Week:
Variable
Weekend Requirements:
As Needed
Benefits:
Yes
Unions:
No
Position Status:
Exempt
Weekly Hours:
24
Employee Status:
Limited Term (Fixed Term)
Sutter Health is an equal opportunity employer EOE/M/F/Disability/Veterans.
Pay Range is $59,492.16 to $89,244.48 / annual salary
The compensation range may vary based on the geographic location where the position is filled. Total compensation considers multiple factors, including, but not limited to a candidate’s experience, education, skills, licensure, certifications, departmental equity, training, and organizational needs. Base pay is only one component of Sutter Health’s comprehensive total rewards program. Eligible positions also include a comprehensive benefits package.