Child Life Clinical Internship Program

Randall Children's Services > Children's Health Services > Child Life > Child Life Clinical Internship Program

Overview

We, as Certified Child Life Specialists at Randall Children’s Hospital, will 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 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 are currently accepting applications for Fall 2024. No winter/spring or summer internship is offered at this time.
  • No 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 create and provide meaningful therapeutic interventions and activities to patients and families in one-on-one and group settings.
  • To offer interns supervision by Certified Child Life Specialists who will oversee their direct learning during each rotation.
  • To provide interns with consistent weekly supervision, encouraging 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.
  • 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 expose interns to the support provided during end-of-life for patients and families.
  • To provide interns with a strong foundation in psychological preparation and procedural support.

 

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 7:00am or ending as late as 11:30pm, 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 Internship Readiness Common Application (https://aclp.smapply.io/) by email to: childlife@lhs.org.

  • Applications are due by March 15, 2024.
  • Applications will be reviewed and applicants who are selected to move to the next round will have interviews scheduled during the month of April.
    • Interviews will be done via Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
    • In-person interviews are not required.
  • Initial offer date will be May 7, 2024.

For direct questions please contact:

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