Child life internship

Download or print our internship application

Children's Memorial Hospital is a nationally known medical center and pediatric health care delivery system that offers every pediatric specialty and subspecialty in a variety of convenient settings. The main hospital is located on Chicago's north side (Lincoln Park). Children's physicians are faculty members at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University.

Children's Memorial is characterized by excellence in pediatric health care, but our goals extend beyond meeting the child's medical needs to the well-being of the whole child. Because of this commitment, we practice a family-centered-care approach. Multi-disciplinary teams including staff members from pastoral care, social work, child life and other areas contribute to patients' and families' overall well-being during a child's hospitalization. The Children's Services team plays an integral part in the child's healing process, offering specialized programs that help children cope with the many new experiences and sometimes painful procedures encountered at the hospital. In addition, the team provides children with outlets for play, peer interaction and self-expression.

Learn how our child life specialists play an integral role in caring for patients and families (video)

The Children's Services team consists of 14 clinicians representing several clinical disciplines. Child life specialists, art therapists and music therapists on the team hold a bachelors or masters degree in child development, child life, early childhood education, behavioral sciences, education, fine arts or expressive therapies. Services are provided for patients and families on all inpatient units, in selected outpatient areas, the emergency department, pediatric ICU and ambulatory surgical unit.

Academic requirements (child life/child development)

In order to be considered for the Children's Memorial child life internship, you must meet the following criteria:

Be currently enrolled in, or have completed senior year of a bachelors program in child life, child development, early childhood education or a closely related field; or be currently enrolled in a masters program in the same areas of study listed above. Candidates who are not currently enrolled in an academic program are eligible for consideration. If chosen, they would be required to purchase professional liability insurance at a nominal fee.
Have completed or will have completed prior to the internship at least ten classes in child development, child life, early childhood education and/or psychology.
Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale ("B" average or better)

Experience with hospitalized children is preferred but not required. Examples are: Completion of a child life practicum under the supervision of a child life specialist, or volunteer experience working with pediatric or special needs patients in a medical setting, including medical camps, or employment as a child life assistant.

Application deadlines

The application and all required documents must be postmarked on or before the dates listed below. After all applications and documents have been reviewed, selected candidates will be interviewed. Applicants who are not selected will receive written notification that Children's Memorial will not be able to provide them with an internship. Please note that due to special circumstances, the 2008-09 Winter/Spring internship is not accepting applications.

May 5		Fall Internship Application Deadline
September 5		Winter/Spring Application Deadline - NOTE: NOT AVAILABLE IN 2008-2009
January 5		Summer Internship Application Deadline

Application fee

A non-refundable fee of $10 is required for each application, and should be enclosed with the returned application materials . Checks can be made payable to Children's Memorial Hospital.

Internship specifics

The intern will work 40 hours a week for a minimum of 14 weeks to complete the required hours. For masters level students, a year-long placement is available, consisting of 8 months at 24 hours per week.

Contract

Children's Memorial Hospital and the intern's college or university will sign a contract defining mutual rights and responsibilities. The contract will be sent upon acceptance to the internship program. The child life manager will work with the intern's college or university to communicate progress as required. Acceptance is contingent upon mutual agreement between school and Children's Memorial Hospital. For those not in school, liability insurance must be purchased privately with documentation available. The Children's Services department at Children's Memorial Hospital is under the direction of the Director of Children's Services. Interns are directly supervised by the child life specialist who works on the specified rotation.