Child Life Internship Structure

16-Week Internship Experience

Supervised by Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) with a minimum of 4000 hours of paid experience.

• Weeks 1 & 2: Orientation to CHM and child life department
• Weeks 3 -14: Two rotations (six weeks/rotation)
• Week 15 & 16: Independence on rotation unit of choice

Internship curriculum will include:

• Comprehensive manual with ACLP curriculum, required readings, handouts, and resources
• Goals and objectives based on weekly topic/theme
• Journal assignments based on weekly topic/theme
• Self reflection
• Cultural humility
• Detailed checklist of required tasks
• Educational in-services and staff meetings
• Special project

Required readings prior to start of internship:

• Psychosocial Care of Children in Hospitals: A Clinical Practice Manual by L. Gaynard et al (1990)
• Meeting Children’s Needs across the Healthcare Continuum (2005)
• The Handbook of Child Life by R. Thompson (2009)

Suggested reading prior to start of internship:

• Child Life in Hospitals: Theory and Practice by Thompson and Stanford (1981)
• A Child in Pain by Kutner (2010)
• The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Fadiman (1997)
• Verbal First Aid by Acosta and Prager (2010)