Child Life Specialist Facility Dog Handler - Inpatient

At Cleveland Clinic Health System, we believe in a better future for healthcare. And each of us is responsible for honoring our commitment to excellence, pushing the boundaries and transforming the patient experience, every day.

We all have the power to help, heal and change lives — beginning with our own. That’s the power of the Cleveland Clinic Health System team, and The Power of Every One.

### Job Title
Child Life Specialist Facility Dog Handler - Inpatient

### Location
Cleveland

### Facility
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

### Department
Enterprise Child Life-Nursing Institute

### Job Code
T98364

### Shift
Days

### Schedule
8:00am-4:30pm

Job Summary

Job Details

Join Cleveland Clinic’s Main Campus where research and surgery are advanced, technology is leading-edge, patient care is world class and caregivers are family. Here, you will work alongside a passionate and dedicated team, receive endless support and appreciation, and build a rewarding career with one of the most respected healthcare organizations in the world.

The Child Life Specialist team provides essential support to patients and their families throughout their healthcare journey. As a unique position within the healthcare system, Child Life Specialists are not nurses but play an integral role in addressing the emotional, developmental, and psychological needs of pediatric patients across various healthcare settings. The team operates across Main Campus, Fairview, Hillcrest, and provides support to ambulatory surgery centers in Northeast Ohio.

Unlike many healthcare roles, Child Life Specialists work across multiple units, providing individualized support rather than within a specific unit. In addition to Child Life Specialists, the department also includes Facility Dog Handlers, who work with therapy dogs to provide comfort and emotional support to patients.

A typical day for a Child Life Specialist and Facility Dog Handler can be varied and dynamic, depending on the specific clinical needs and patient flow for the day.

A caregiver in this position works days, 8:00am—4:30pm.

A caregiver who excels in this role will:

- Utilize the facility dog to provide therapeutic interventions in a variety of clinical settings, including the inpatient units and outpatient areas.

- Function as a key member of the healthcare team, communicating all relevant developmental and psychosocial information to other team members via charting, participation in team meetings, etc.

- Participate in the planning and implementation of special events and programming that involve the facility dog.

- Develop and assist with projects addressing the needs of patients and families in line with the goals of the facility dog program and are identified by the Child Life, Therapy Services, and/or other teams.

- Develop and implement educational seminars that address psychosocial needs and challenges of hospitalization and the clinical benefits of utilizing a facility dog.

- Maintain all requirements for dog handling set out by the placement facility dog organization regarding weight management, vet care, home environment, grooming, recurrent teaching and reporting.

- Assess the needs of the dog throughout the work shift to provide adequate rest and down time.

- Maintain program statistics to assess and evaluate the quality of programming and to make necessary adjustments.

- Facilitate animal care and activities in a manner that ensures cleanliness and prevention of infection.

- Document interactions and program validity accurately in medical and other records as needed.

- Collaborate with clinical staff to create opportunities for the facility dog to be included in applicable research.

- Attend approved events with the facility dog.

- Assess the developmental, social and physical needs of assigned population and provide appropriate interventions, such as preparations and therapeutic play integrating the facility dog.

- Provide supervision to volunteers, students and interns.

- Participate in individual and clinical group supervision.

- Facilitate patient and parent adjustment to the healthcare environment utilizing the facility dog as appropriate.

- Assume responsibility and accountability for assigned administrative tasks.

- Contribute to planning and control processes of the budget by participating in the development and maintenance of inventory.

Minimum qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include:

- Bachelor’s degree in Child Life, Recreational Therapy, Child Development or a related field

- Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) Certification through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation

- OR active Child Life Certification (CCLS) through the Association of Child Life Professionals

- Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification through the American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross certification within 90 days of hire

- Completion of required training with certification from the Facility Dog Training Placement Organization

Preferred qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include:

- Specialist in a pediatric healthcare setting
- Five years of experience as a Certified Child Life Specialist or Recreational Therapist in a pediatric healthcare setting
- CERTIFIED CHILD LIFE SPECIALIST

Physical Requirements:

- Requires full range of body motion including but not limited to handling and lifting patients, handling a facility dog, manual and finger dexterity, and eye-hand coordination.
- Requires standing and walking for extended periods of time.
- Requires corrected vision and hearing to normal range.
- Requires working under stressful conditions and irregular hours. Exposure to communicable diseases and/or body fluids.
- Medium Work - Exerting 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.
- Physical Demand requirements are in excess of those for Light Work

Personal Protective Equipment:

- Follows Standard Precautions using personal protective equipment as required for procedures

The policy of Cleveland Clinic Health System and its system hospitals (Cleveland Clinic Health System) is to provide equal opportunity to all of our caregivers and applicants for employment in our drug free environment. All offers of employment are followed by testing for controlled substances.

Cleveland Clinic Health System administers an influenza prevention program. You will be required to comply with this program, which will include obtaining an influenza vaccination on an annual basis or obtaining an approved exemption.

Decisions concerning employment, transfers and promotions are made upon the basis of the best qualified candidate without regard to color, race, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, status as a disabled or Vietnam era veteran or any other characteristic protected by law. Information provided on this application may be shared with any Cleveland Clinic Health System facility.

If applying for a Florida position, please see the following website for more information on the background screening requirements required by the Agency of Health Care Administration: https://info.flclearinghouse.com/

Please review the Equal Employment Opportunity poster .

Cleveland Clinic is pleased to be an equal employment opportunity employer.