Child Life Specialist - Child Life Services

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Job Description

About Us

CoxHealth is a leading healthcare system serving 25 counties across southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas. The organization includes six hospitals, 5 ERs, and over 80 clinics. CoxHealth has earned the following honors for workplace excellence:

  • Named one of Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to work five times.
  • Named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces in Health Care by Newsweek.
  • Named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces by Newsweek
  • Recognized as a Greatest Workplace for Women in both 2023 and 2024.
  • Listed as one of the Greatest Workplaces for Diversity in 2024.
  • Acknowledged by Forbes as one of the Best Employers for New Grads.
  • Ranked among the Best Employers by State for Missouri.
  • Healthcare Innovation's Top Companies to Work for in Healthcare.

Benefits

  • Medical, Vision, Dental, Retirement Plan with employer match, and many more!
  • For a comprehensive list of benefits, please click here: Benefits | CoxHealth
Job Summary
  • A caregiver who assumes responsibility and accountability for all pediatric patients, during contact with the hospital either as an inpatient or outpatient. Our Specialists provide care for these patients through therapeutic use of self, patient activities, hospital environment adaptation, and education of other health care team members regarding development and children’s reactions to hospital stressors.
Job Requirements
  • Education
    • Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Family Development or a related field
    • Required: Completion of 600 hour child life specialist internship prior to hire
    • Preferred: Degree emphasis in Child Life with a professional hospital internship
  • Experience
    • Preferred: Previous pediatric volunteer experience
  • Skills
    • Performs assessments and goal-directed plans of care to facilitate patient outcomes.
    • Evaluates the effectiveness of self and services
    • Identifies educational goals for patients, family, staff members, the community, and other hospital departments
    • Provides a safe, therapeutic, individualized physical and psychosocial environment for patients and their families
  • Licensure/Certification/Registration
    • Required: Eligible to set for the Child Life Certification exam, if not a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS)
    • Preferred: Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)
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Specialties:

  1. Professional/Technical - Non-Clinical

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Why CoxHealth?

Our health system includes six hospitals, over 100 clinics, and 530+ primary and specialty providers serving 25 counties. CoxHealth takes pride in being southwest Missouri’s first hospital system accredited by DNV Healthcare, a distinction awarded for our commitment to quality and patient safety. All six hospitals, along with our outpatient centers and provider-based clinics, have received this national accreditation through DNV’s National Integrated Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations® program.  

Cox Medical Centers is the only facility in the region to receive the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet® designation, which recognizes excellence in nursing. We’re consistently identified among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access. Additionally, in 2025, CareChex by Quantros® ranked Cox Medical Centers in the top 10% of hospitals nationwide, as well as in our region and state, for medical excellence in overall hospital and surgical care.