Child Life Clinical Internship Program

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Child Life Clinical Internship Program Child Life Practicum Program Child Life

Overview

The Certified Child Life Specialists at Randall Children’s Hospital strive to offer interns hands-on training based on the professionally identified core curriculum of child life practice. We collectively embrace training which is supportive, collaborative, and action oriented. Our 600-hour (16 week) program will prepare interns for a career as a child life specialist.

  • Randall Children’s Hospital utilizes the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) Internship Readiness Common Application.
  • Our program adheres to the ACLP application deadlines.
  • Our internship program utilizes the ACLP Internship curriculum.
  • At the completion of the internship, an intern will be eligible to sit for the ACLP certification exam and will be prepared to practice as an entry-level child life specialist.
  • We will begin accepting applications for Fall 2025 in February 2025. No winter/spring or summer internship is offered at this time.
  • No pre-internship/practicum experiences are offered at this time.
  • Unaffiliated/independent interns ARE accepted.

Goals of the Child Life Clinical Internship Program

  • To provide interns with a 16-week, 600-hour full-time internship that will meet the entry-level requirements for professional certification.
  • To offer a curriculum which emphasizes the psychosocial and developmental needs of children.
  • To help interns learn how to provide meaningful therapeutic interventions and activities to patients and families one-on-one and in group settings.
  • To help interns learn how to best assist patients and families in adjusting to the hospital environment.
  • To provide interns with the experience of learning within a multidisciplinary team.
  • To participate in the facilitation and delivery of patient- and family-centered care.
  • To help interns learn how to accurately document patient interactions to support the profession, establish validity, and provide other team members with information related to a patient’s development and coping.
  • To provide interns with a solid foundation in psychological preparation and procedural support.
  • To expose interns to the support provided during end-of-life for patients and families.
  • To offer interns supervision from multiple Certified Child Life Specialists who will oversee their direct learning during each rotation.
  • To provide interns with consistent weekly meetings which will encourage self-reflection and an opportunity to integrate observations and experiences with the professional scope of child life practice and issues of ethical responsibility within a healthcare environment.

Qualifications/Requirements

To be considered for Randall Children’s Hospital’s child life clinical internship program, individuals must meet the minimum requirements for internship application as outlined by the Association for Child Life Professionals.

Our program requires schedule flexibility, with rotations beginning as early as 7 a.m. or ending as late as 11:30 p.m., including weekends. We provide clinical services to various inpatient and outpatient areas and coordinate a variety of programs and special activities. Rotations must be completed as assigned.

Applicants must also meet the requirements to be a volunteer at Randall Children’s Hospital, including:

  • An interview and orientation with the volunteer coordinator.
  • Background check and proof of immunizations, including up-to-date tuberculosis test.
  • Strict adherence to all volunteer policies and procedures.

 

Application deadlines and offer dates

Please submit the following by email (childlife@lhs.org):

  • Internship Readiness Common Application (Internship Readiness Common Application from childlife.org)
  • A cover letter outlining your reasons for pursuing the child life profession, and why you are interested in completing your internship at Randall Children’s Hospital.  

Applications are due by March 24, 2025.

  • Applications will be reviewed, and applicants selected to move to the next round will have interviews scheduled in April.
    • Interviews will be done via Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
    • In-person interviews are not required.
  • The initial offer date will be May 6, 2025.

For direct questions please contact:

Jessica Thompson, MA, CCLS
Child Life Internship Coordinator
childlife@lhs.org