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When children face intense medical procedures, prolonged hospitalization, and traumatic events, they need specialized support.
This is where a child life specialist comes in. These dedicated healthcare professionals help guide and support children through difficult situations.
Becoming a child life specialist is a rewarding and inspiring career that requires a tremendous amount of compassion, empathy, and resilience.
What Is a Child Life Specialist?
A child life specialist works with children who are coping with medical challenges or prolonged hospitalization.
Their goal is to ensure the child's life remains as normal as possible by providing support and information to the child and their family.
This can be an emotionally challenging job, but is often immensely gratifying for professionals who have the courage to pursue this career.
Job Duties of a Child Life Specialist
On a day-to-day basis, a child life specialist serves as a guide who helps children and their families navigate the hospitalization process.
Child life specialists typically work with children who are severely injured or have serious medical conditions requiring prolonged treatment.
A child life specialist has many responsibilities during their workday, including:
- explaining medical processes and procedures so that a child and their family can understand
- using therapeutic play and other activities to promote childhood growth and development and minimize trauma
- advocating for the special needs of children with medical challenges and their families
- collaborating with a child's medical team to manage the child's ongoing treatment and care
- working with social workers, chaplains, nurses, doctors, and specialists on a child's medical team
Specializations
Experienced child life specialists develop specialties in particular areas that help them provide customized care to children in their families.
In smaller hospitals, child life specialists typically work with a wide variety of patients in varying circumstances.
Child life specialists in larger hospitals may specialize by working with children in specific areas or departments.
Some child life specialists focus solely on child patients with a particular medical diagnosis, such as cancer or leukemia.
Work Environment
Most child life specialists work in hospitals, particularly pediatric hospitals with a large variety of child patients.
Other child life specialists work in medical clinics, specialty schools, disability camps, hospice care centers, and even in family homes.
The workday of a child life specialist is very busy, and they are frequently on the go, moving from patient to patient as needed.
Because every patient and family has different support needs, a child life specialist must be highly adaptable.
Education and Training
Most hospitals require child life specialists to be certified, and certification requires the completion of a graduate program and internship.
While some child life specialists get bachelor's and master's degrees specifically in child life care, many also come from other disciplines.
During the required 600-hour child life internship, prospective child life specialists receive hands-on training in the field.
Certification requires child life specialists to pass a written exam administered by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP).
Average Salary and Job Outlook of a Child Life Specialist
Certified child life specialists earn around $60,380 per year on average, along with health and dental insurance benefits.
Other benefits could include tuition reimbursement, conference reimbursement, and retirement plans.
As awareness of the special needs of children with medical challenges and their families grows, so does demand for child life specialists.
Overall employment of child life specialists is expected to grow by 7% from 2021 to 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
How to Become a Child Life Specialist: Step by Step
If you are interested in becoming a child life specialist, read on to learn how to begin your career today.
Step 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree
Many child life specialists have a bachelor's degree in child life, but a degree in a related discipline may be useful as well.
Successful child life specialists have degrees in child development, expressive therapies, psychology, sociology, and education.
While pursuing your bachelor's degree, consider volunteering with the child life team at a local children's hospital.
Volunteering can give you valuable hands-on experience that can help you decide if this is the right career for you.
Step 2: Complete a Child Life Clinical Internship
The ACLP requires certification candidates to complete a 600-hour clinical internship before they're eligible to take the exam.
If you enrolled in an accredited child life bachelor's program, your school will likely arrange the internship for you.
You can also complete your internship through an accredited graduate program, required for certification.
Step 3: Earn a Master's Degree in Child Life
Eligible certification candidates must graduate from a graduate child life program endorsed by the ACLP.
These programs include coursework in child development, therapeutic play, and loss and bereavement.
Specific coursework is required by the ACLP, so make sure any program you're looking at meets their requirements before you enroll.
Expect this program to take around two years to complete, especially if you must complete your internship at the same time.
Step 4: Take the Certification Exam
The certification exam consists of 150 multiple choice questions that candidates have four hours to complete.
This objective test covers your knowledge, understanding, and application of foundational child life concepts.
Passing this exam grants certification for five years, at which point you will need to recertify. Recertification is not automatic.
Once certified, you can use the letters CCLS (certified child life specialist) at the end of your name to designate your credentials.
Learn About Becoming a Child Life Specialist Today
Contact Best Accredited Colleges today to learn more about becoming a child life specialist.
