Job Description

Dedicated exclusively to children and their families, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is one of the largest and most respected paediatric healthcare centres in the world.  As innovators in child health, we lead and partner to improve the health of children through the integration of healthcare, leading-edge research and education.  Our reputation would not have been built – nor could it be maintained – without the skills, knowledge and experience of the extraordinary people who come to work here every day.  SickKids is committed to ongoing learning and development, and features a caring and supportive work environment that combines exceptionally high standards of practice.

When you join SickKids, you become part of our community. We share a commitment and determination to fulfill our vision of Healthier Children. A Better World.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to work alongside the world’s best in paediatric healthcare.

Position Description

The Therapeutic Clown is responsible for initiating and sustaining therapeutic relationships with children and families at the Hospital For Sick Children. Through child-directed play and humor, the Therapeutic Clown assists children and their families to minimize stress, as well as providing comfort and support. The Therapeutic Clown’s playful interactions are dedicated to empowering children and families to help them better cope with illness and hospitalization. The Therapeutic Clown works with Child Life Specialists, the Creative Arts Therapy team, and other Health Care Providers as part of an interprofessional team to support patient care plans.

Here’s What You’ll Get To Do

• Create a sense of well-being, hope and joy in all areas of the hospital
• Initiate and maintain purposeful, trusting and sustaining therapeutic relationships, assessing a child’s play to shape the nature of these relationships and encounters
• Engage in a variety of developmentally appropriate play experiences to: promote the maintenance of normal living patterns; minimize stress associated with hospitalization; build connection and empower patients and families by allowing them to direct play and make choices
• Collaborate with Child Life Specialists and members of the interprofessional team
• Provide ethnically and culturally sensitive and inclusive care to a diverse patient population.
• Participate, as directed by Team Lead and Senior Clinical Manager, in activities that support the operations of the Creative Arts Therapy Program (e.g. clinical orientation of new staff, media or SickKids Foundation tours)
• Maintain professional standards and practices to align with role expectations (documentation, participation in program meetings, following hospital Policies and Procedures)

Here’s What You’ll Need

• High School Diploma required
• University degree or College diploma in a psychosocial, healthcare or performing arts field is preferred (can include, but is not limited to, Theatre, Psychology, Child and Youth Studies, Early Childhood Education, Recreation Therapy, Child Life)
• Professional training in performance arts, including but not limited to clown, theatre, movement, dance, circus arts, music, and improvisation
• Rich and varied experience working with children an asset, preferably in a healthcare setting
• Interpersonal and communication skills that is sensitive to diverse patient populations and their families
• Ability to collaborate as part of a health care team
• Willingness to adapt clown character and demonstrate range of energy within a dynamic acute healthcare environment
• Excellent intuition and listening skills
• Excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills
• Ability to improvise and play while in character within an ever-changing hospital environment, proven flexibility
• Understand the importance of and demonstrate the ability to foster a culture of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Here’s What You’ll Love

• A supportive Creative Arts Therapy team with rich opportunity for mentorship.
• A focus on employee wellness with our new Staff Health and Well-being Strategy. Self-care helps us support others.
• A work environment that enables best practices in Safety, Infection Prevention and Quality Improvement.
• A hospital that welcomes and focuses on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
• The opportunity to make an impact. Regardless of your role or professional interest, you’ll be making a difference at SickKids and contributing to our vision of Healthier Children. A Better World.

Employment Type: 0.6 FTE = 3 days per week, 1 year contract; starting week of February 3, 2025.

How to Apply

Therapeutic Clown Introduction Video:

In addition to the online application to this job posting, applicants are to submit a 2-4 minute video introducing their clown. The video can be uploaded to One Drive or Google Drive, or any other similar app, and the link to the video should be included in the cover letter and/or resume. Please note, the selection committee will not be viewing videos past the 4 minutes mark.

Video Requirements:

Introduce yourself in your chosen clown persona. This includes your name, a little bit about yourself, and one completed wardrobe look.

Share by showing or telling us something your clown loves or loves to do. Show us how you would interact either with another person or give life to an inanimate object.

Tip: When choosing dress, toys, or props - do your best to be mindful of the hospital's infection control and masking policies.

The selection committee will review all applications and a select number will be contacted for an in-person audition and interview.

Job Types: Temporary. Job Tags: Child Care, Clown, Creative Arts, pediatrics, Performance Arts, Psychology, and theater. Salaries: Not Disclosed.

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