Thank you for your interest in the Child Life Internship Program. Children's Hospital of Michigan currently offers a unpaid 15-week internship for the Winter, Summer and Fall semesters. We accept students who are independent or affiliated with a college or university.
The internship requires at least 40 clinical hours per week, Monday through Friday with occasional evenings and weekends. Our child life clinical training experience provides high quality instruction and preparation for child life professionals.
Program Schedule
The first two weeks are an intensive orientation to our medical facility and department, which includes an overview of policies and procedures. You will have an opportunity to briefly shadow each child life specialist to discuss the highlights of their assigned areas. After shadowing each staff member, you will select three or four areas of concentration through which you will rotate, spending a total of three or four weeks in each area. In each rotation you will have the opportunity to (1) introduce services to patients and families, (2) assess patient and family needs, (3) plan developmentally appropriate, supportive interventions, (4) implement and evaluate intervention plans, and (5) document interventions in patient charts and daily statistic speadsheet, all under supervision of a certified child life specialist. The final two weeks of the internship offers complete independence on a unit of your choice.
Possible rotations may include:
Burn/Surgery and Rehabilitation
Hematology/Oncology, Nephrology and Bone Marrow Transplant
Same Day Surgery
Emergency Department
Neurosurgery, Neurology, Endocrinology and Pulmonary
Infectious Diseases
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Cardiology
Application Process
A complete internship application contains the following:
Child Life Common Internship Application
Children's Hospital of Michigan Child Life additional requirements
Internship FAQ's