STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
Category: What is Child Life?
What I Wish I Knew: Heavy Realizations Edition
STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
What I Wish I Knew: Odd Jobs Edition
STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
What I Wish I Knew: Staff Education Edition
STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
What I Wish I Knew: Bereavement Edition
STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
What I Wish I Knew: Workplace Edition
STUDENTS: Please note that some of these situations or experiences may be things you’ve never considered could be a part of a child life specialist’s job duties. That’s okay. While every day may not be sunshine, rainbows and butterflies – not every day is like this either. Any job is going to have good/bad parts…
What I Wish I Knew: Patients and Procedures Edition
The idea of “child life” is appealing to a lot of people. I hear it often from staff, patients and families – “You get to play all day?! THAT’S your job? Lucky you!” And they’re not wrong. A lot of what I’m trained to do is engage children in developmentally appropriate play – whether that’s…
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Rainbows are bright spots usually appearing in bleak weather. They are colorful bridges that blend their hues together to make an optical phenomenon. Rainbows are also fleeting – when you catch a glimpse of one, soak it in while you can! You know who else does that? Child life specialists. The Bright Spots In a…
Recipe to Becoming a Certified Child Life Specialist
After receiving multiple direct messages on my Instagram page from a variety of students in different walks of life, I realized everyone was asking for the same thing – DIRECTION. This one is for you! Where To Begin: Volunteering First and foremost, get into a volunteer position under a Certified Child Life Specialist at a local…
Everything Is Awesome on Pediatrics/PICU
I worked on the Pediatric/Pediatric Intensive Care Units for 6 years. Here are a few of my tips for making the most of your interactions with staff, patients, and families. Constant Rounding Nothing says “I’m child life and I’m here to party” quite like constantly making yourself seen and known. We have a child life…
Beating Bulletin Board Boredom
If there’s one quality that every child life specialist should have – it’s creativity; whether that takes the form of decor and education for the unit, arts and crafts activities for patients, or quick and creative solutions to problems – it is an absolute must! One of my favorite ways of expressing my creativity is…
In the Wake of a Trach
When I first began my pursuit into child life, I quickly learned that it all revolved around meeting children right where they’re at: looking at them at the same eye level requires physically squatting down speaking to them with words that they understand requires the use of developmentally-appropriate language expanding my “kid-smart” knowledge similar to…
Child Life, Wild Life 