Child Life Manager-Stead Family Children's Hospital

The University of Iowa Stead Family Childrens Hospital is seeking a Child Life Manager. The Child Life manager is responsible for leading and managing operations of the child life program at University of Iowa Stead Family Childrens Hospital. The manager provides managerial and clinical leadership to ensure attainment of functional objectives serve as a resource to patients families staff and learners and collaborate with organizational leaders and other key stakeholders to enhance the services and resources provided to patients and families by the child life program. The manager ensures that all staff provide safe care to children and families and have the education methods and resources to accomplish their collective and individual performance objectives.

Positions in this job family usually have limited involvement in direct patient care and focus their efforts in planning organizing directing evaluating and improving health care operations clinical education programs and research programs of clinical and health service departments.

Leadership and Human Resource Management:

Hire develop manage and evaluate the performance of staff in a departmental unit or functional division

Plan and carry out staff recruitment orientation and development evaluating performance and competencies of all assigned staff

Develop and manage the performance of staff including clinical care delivery leave management and interpersonal communication

Assure that staff are clinically competent and compliant with policies procedures conditions of employment and other internal/external regulations

Plan assign and schedule work for staff within the program.

Work to achieve optimal efficiency and effectiveness of clinical services according to established hospital standards as well as those of the child life and other therapeutic professions

Assure that all program operations policies and practices align/comply with collective bargaining agreements University of Iowa policies and/or state and federal laws relevant to employee and labor relations

Foster a positive work environment conducive to a highly engaged high functioning and effective work team

Strategic Planning

Develop implement and evaluate the child life programs strategic plan including standard operating procedures policies and guidelines to promote and carry out the goals objectives mission and vision in alignment with those of the organization department and CWS division.

Lead both long- and short-term strategic planning and expansion for the child life program with full accountability for the results.

Collaborate with system hospital and divisional leadership to provide input on the development of annual goals and reports. Support the implementation of department goals and objectives.

Develop create and maintain policies and procedures as well as standard work for all areas; oversee program performance improvement activities and initiatives.

Provide long-range planning and establish annual working objectives for the program

Monitor/evaluate progress toward goals provide periodic reports to PFCS director

Financial Management

Assist Director in preparation management and evaluation of the annual fiscal operating and philanthropically based budgets.

Recommend budget ideas resources and cost containment strategies. Manage program to meet budget goals

Manage and evaluate monthly finance reports and account reconciliations. Create/implement action plans to take corrective action as needed

Oversee all child life financial records including operational and gift accounts

Understand financial implications of collective bargaining and other agreements

Quality Safety & Patient/Family Experience

Foster a work environment that promotes a spirit of inquiry and continuous quality improvement

Collaborate with nursing and other departments in hospital-wide patient quality and experience improvement initiatives

Implement and maintain standard QA plans; engage staff in meeting plan goals

Recommend implement and evaluate QA and patient- and family-centered strategies

Investigate and resolve problems encountered by patients families and other departmental customers

Participate with the multidisciplinary team to continuously assess and improve patient care quality and service

Assure a safe environment for patients staff and visitors

Education

Plan and conduct innovative educational opportunities to assure continuous growth of staff

Coordinate clinical education for child life fellows interns and practicum students

Provide evaluative feedback to students staff and residents; work with clinical instructors/educators to facilitate clinical education

Participate in planning and conducting departmental and divisional continuing education programs through in-service training sessions

Participates in the development of innovative clinical teaching activities to meet the learning needs of staff and students

Regulatory Compliance

Possess knowledge of healthcare regulating agencies and requirements specific to the care of patients and families.

Monitor program compliance via monthly audits of cleaning checklists environmental rounds review of staff compliances and educational communication to all staff.

Assess compliance with accrediting organizations

Clinical Support & Operations

Oversees the day-to-day operations of the child life program including but not limited to the oversight of all child life specialists assistants hourly employees learners volunteers (and others as appropriate).

Ensures the availability of competent staff to provide high quality care to children and families

Assure that the clinical practice is of high quality and provided according to established standards (professional organizational divisional program etc.)

Work to achieve optimal efficiency and effectiveness of child life program operations

Investigate and resolve problems encountered by patients families and other departmental customers

Supervise care delivery maintain competence in child life clinical skills and knowledge base to provide patient care as needed.

Develop maintain report and benchmark accurate and meaningful (standard) patient care and other relevant program/professional metrics.

Communicate with physicians staff and other units/departments on a regular basis to promote effective and efficient operations within the department. Communicate with patients families and staff to address and resolve issues

Coordinate work and services between departments and assist in resolution of intra-departmental and interdepartmental operating problems

Community/Public Relations

Collaborate with Marketing and Communications department to represent the Child Life program with the media and the community/general public.

Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders in planning hospital/departmental/divisional/program special events and activities

Collaborate with the Director PFCS on activities related to program financial resources and support provided by the UI Center for Advancement

Research

Encourage/support staffs participation in evidence-based practice and/or research initiatives. Incorporate best practices into program operations.