Child Life Assistant TEMPORARY

Job Description:
Full-time Temporary position through December 2026, then will transition to a PRN schedule to help cover vacant shifts in the department.
The Child Life Assistant Interacts directly with pediatric patients, families, and other healthcare team members and facilitates age-appropriate activities to help make the healthcare experience easier for patients and families. Under the direction of a child life specialist, the child life assistant provides activities in a play setting that reduces patient and family distress, increases effective patient and family coping, fosters patient independence, and promotes optimum development. This role is designed as a career path toward other child development roles and most Child Life Assistants are working towards child life certification through the Association of Child Life Professionals while earning a degree and certifications.
Posting Specifics
Entry Rate: Based on experience
Position is NOT Benefits eligible.
Shift Details: Full-time (40 hrs/wk) TEMPORARY position through December 2026
Must be able to work flexible shifts of 8–10 hours and maintain availability Monday through Saturday to meet staffing and scheduling needs.
Position will transition to a PRN position starting in January 2027 to provide coverage as needed by the departments due to vacations, LOAs, etc.
Location: Position is onsite at Salt Lake City location in the Kids Clubhouse, Forever Young Playroom, Teen Room and Hope Garden.
Additional Details:
Child Life Assistants work under the direction of a child life specialist to provide therapeutic safe environments, developmentally appropriate activities, play-based interventions, and support to patients and families.
Child life assistants also coordinate volunteer training and scheduling.
Experience with children and knowledge of Child Development is necessary.
Knowledge of child cognitive, social and skills of child development
Ability to communicate effectively in Spanish, including knowledge of medical terminology in Spanish, to support diverse patient needs
Enthusiasm for data collection, statistics, and proficiency with Excel
Required Qualifications
Demonstrated experience working with healthy children or children in a medical or hospital setting
Knowledge of child development
Computer experience in word processing, spreadsheets, and databases or similar applications
Able to work independently and be organized
Ability to work in a stressful environment related to patient needs including acute, chronic, and complex disease, and grief and bereavement
Maintains appropriate boundaries with patients and families
Preferred Qualifications
Associate or bachelor’s degree
Working towards child life certification through the Association of Child Life Professionals
Work experience as a child life assistant.
Completion of child life pre-internship/practicum
Completion of a 600-hour child life internship.
Spanish speaking
Essential Functions
Accurately assesses and prioritizes developmental needs of the pediatric patient and family and updates child life specialist when patient needs are outside scope of practice.
Develops, implements, advertises, and evaluates developmentally appropriate play/recreational activities and directs parents, students, and volunteers in providing developmentally appropriate toys to patients and families in play space.
Screens and transports patients to play areas, completes appropriate check-in guidelines and policies to ensure child safety and assists in coordinating special events, holidays, and special visitors.
Maintains a clean, safe environment in accordance with infection prevention and safety standards.
Monitors and provides a supportive child-friendly environment in play spaces; supervises, orients, and trains students and volunteers as needed.
Assists with ordering, receiving, organizing, and distributing supplies.
Supervises and independently leads the facility “Kids Clubhouse,” coordinating the work of the volunteers in those spaces.
Skills
Relationship building
Supervision
Teamwork
Critical thinking
Communication
Interpersonal skills
Patience
Decisiveness
Emotional intelligence
Creativity
Physical Requirements
Frequent interactions with patient care providers, patients, and visitors that require employee to verbally communicate as well as hear and understand spoken information, alarms, needs, and assess issues quickly and accurately, particularly during emergency situations to maintain safety
Ongoing need for employee to see and read information, documents, monitors, identify equipment and supplies, and be able to assess customer needs.
Manual dexterity of hands and fingers to manipulate complex and delicate equipment with precision and accuracy. This includes frequent computer use for typing, accessing needed information, etc.
Expected to lift and utilize full range of movement to transfer patients. Will also bend to retrieve, lift, and carry supplies and equipment. Typically includes items of varying weights, up to and including heavy items.
Location:
Intermountain Health Primary Childrens Hospital
Work City:
Salt Lake City
Work State:
Utah
Scheduled Weekly Hours:
40
The hourly range for this position is listed below. Actual hourly rate dependent upon experience.
$21.02 - $29.72
We care about your well-being – mind, body, and spirit – which is why we provide our caregivers a generous benefits package that covers a wide range of programs to foster a sustainable culture of wellness that encompasses living healthy, happy, secure, connected, and engaged.
Learn more about our comprehensive benefits package here.
By applying for a position with Intermountain, I acknowledge that I will comply with all applicable Intermountain policies and expectations. If applying for a remote or hybrid role, this includes remote work expectations related to confidentiality, information security, work schedules, conflicts of interest, and use of company equipment. I further acknowledge that outside employment or activities may not interfere with job responsibilities or create a conflict of interest with Intermountain. Actual or reasonably perceived conflicts may be grounds for disqualification from consideration or, if hired, corrective action up to and including termination of employment.
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