Child Life Job Outlook

Photo by: Philip Dean

In becoming a Child Life Specialist, it is important to understand that, at this time, the job outlook is not as good as it is for other careers, based on the fact that many hospitals find it hard to get funding to have many Child Life Specialists on staff in every department that they need them in. One way hospitals do receive funding for their Child Life Specialists is through grants as well as donations. As you can see by this article  it takes over 250,000 dollars just to be able to provide Child Life services to their patients on weekends, and possibly in places like the Emergency Room, where Child Life Specialists are not always found. This is a common problem in the job outlook, because without funding and recognition for what a Child Life Specialists do, there will not be more jobs created. Because the hospital is such a stressful place for chronically ill children, and the presence of a Child Life Specialist can help them through a lot of their fear. They do this through different therapeutic play activities, that involve being in a playroom, or if the child is too ill, at their bedside.  This is important for all aspects of a child’s hospital stay, because children do not only heal physically, but also emotionally. Because Child Life Specialists do not give out medical care, they are a safe person for children to go to without feeling like they are going to have another procedure or test done that is going to cause them pain.  Children benefit from having a safe person and space to go to away from procedures and tests, as well as somebody to help them emotionally, making it a better environment for the child to heal from the trauma of being in the hospital as well as healing from their physical issues.