What are your experiences with Child Life Specialists?

[desic737]

Hi all! I'm a pre-nursing student at a community college, and have been tossing up between a few career paths for a year or so now. At first I wanted to to Deaf Education, but with the low satisfaction and appreciation rate of teachers, I threw that out the window. If I still want to do it after getting my BSN, I'll pursue it, but it's not something I'm looking into now.

However, another career path I've been considering is Child Life. I appreciate the less medical aspect of it, and the teaching/counseling philosophy it seems to have. I have an anxiety disorder, and i'm worried it'll "get in the way" and I'll crack under pressure, and that'll put me off from the career. But with Child Life, I feel as if I'm more of a friend to the patient, and I believe the environment would be less of a stressor on me while still maintaining the hospital/medical feel.

But colleges that offer it are few and far between, not to mention it isn't as booming as a career field as nursing, nor is it as lucrative. There isn't much room for growth, whereas with nursing there's more room to advance and different specialties to try.

What are your experiences with your Child Life staff? Do you think it'd be a smart career to go into, or will nursing be more rewarding in your opinion?

Thanks!

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

I wouldn't rely on it as a primary source of income for the reasons you mention. It doesn't seem like a good educational investment, to me.

[Julius Seizure]

This probably won't affect you, unless you take a long time to complete your bachelors, but just in case anybody finds this thread a few years from now, beginning in 2022 a masters degree will be required to qualify for the child life certification exam.

Anyway, I would consider other paths...maybe echo tech or speech therapy? Both can be in a hospital setting and generally considered "lower stress".

[RNperdiem, RN]

When my children were in hospital, I worked with a few of them. Since I come from a medically savvy background, I didn't need them that much, but I could see them being an excellent resource for people who need them.

Job prospects are limited, and when budgets are cut, their job is at risk. I have a sister who used to work as a recreation therapist, but low pay and constant job insecurity led her to switch to a career in radiology as an XRay tech.

[Grumble88]

In my first undergrad degree almost everyone I went to school with wanted to be a child life specialist, I think only two or three actually went through with it and they married partners who were able to provide a living for them, everyone else went the pre-school teacher route after finding out how wildly competitive the field is and how low the pay is

[Zelda, RN]

As a nurse in a children's hospital, I LOVE my child life. They are wonderful angels who pull toys and iPads and comfort holds out and make any IV, NG, or any other procedure a thousand times easier. If I'd know child life was an option before I went to nursing school, I may have even pursued it. It seems like a career that I would have had high satisfaction in.