Child Life Internships

Child life students complete a 17-week clinical internship at St. Louis Children’s Hospital to fulfill Bachelor’s or Master’s degree requirements. Following one week of orientation, students rotate through three clinical areas, gaining hands-on experience applying child life theory and supporting the unique needs of hospitalized children in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

The internship complements academic coursework and follows the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) curriculum modules. It is designed to help students develop a professional identity, ethical practice, and entry-level competencies necessary to work effectively with children, families, and healthcare teams in pediatric settings. Following the clinical internship, students will have the skills needed to develop Child Life programs in pediatric settings or enhance those already established. 

Selection Criteria

**All criteria must be met in order to be considered for the clinical internship position.  No exceptions will be made.

• Minimum of 100 Child Life practicum hours under direct, onsite supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist. Practicum hours may be in progress during application and interviews. While all Child Life practicums will be accepted, hospital-based practicums are preferred 
• Completion of ACLP educational requirements, including six required curriculum topic. Coursework may be in progress. 
• University-affiliated students must be of senior standing with active advisor support. 
• Non-university-affiliated students must provide personal liability insurance during the internship.
• Strong understanding of Child Life philosophy, lifespan development, and theory required. 

Application Process and Requirements

Applicants to the St. Louis Children's Hospital clinical internship must submit one complete application by the stated deadline. Late, incomplete, or improperly formatted applications will not be accepted. Questions regarding eligibility, materials, or deadlines may be directed to the Child Life Department's Internship Coordinator.

Important Notice on AI Use 

The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT) is strictly prohibited in the preparation of application materials. By submitting an application, candidates attest that all content is their own original work. Basic work-processing tools for spelling and grammar are permitted. Applications and supporting documents may be screened for plagiarism or AI-gnerated content; materials found to violate this policy will not be considered.   

Submission Instructions 

All application materials must be submitted electronically by the deadline for the appropriate semester to [email protected] with "Internship Application-Candidate Name"in the Subject Line. Each required document must be sent as a separate Word document or PDF to the designated email address. Other formats (e.g., Google Drive or SharePoint links, JPEG, PNG) will render the application incomplete.

Required Application Materials: 

Applicants must submit the following: 

• Common Child Life Internship Readiness Application (most recent version, Word, or PDF)
• ACLP Eligibility Assessment (included in the application)
  • -All pages must be submitted
  • -Must indicate "Complete" or "Anticipated completion prior to the start of this internship" for all academic requirements, including the six core Child Life topics
  • -Proof of completion for any outstanding requirements must be provided before the internship begins
• Essay responding to the following prompt: Given the following list of patients, please describe how you would prioritize your day. What issues would you predict for the patient/family based on your theoretical understanding of development and what intervention would you then provide:
  • -5-month-old admitted for failure to thrive
  • -18-month-old admitted for video EEG monitoring
  • -4-year-old admitted for GI symptoms requiring bowl cleanout
  • -8-year-old admitted through the Emergency Department after a motor vehicle accident
  • -16-year-old admitted for routine chemotherapy
• Practicum Supervisor Recommendation Form
  • -Must be sent directly by the practicum supervisor
  • -Sumbitted separately from the application
  • -Must be received by the application deadline
  • -Copy of the form can be found here 

Review and Notification

All complete applications will be reviewed by Child Life Services staff. Applicants will be notified of their application status. Candidates who do not meet eligibility criteria or fail to submit required materials in the correct format will not be considered. 

Clinical Internship Application Deadlines

Please note the following: The application dates are in agreement with the Association of Child Life Professional guidelines as set by the Education Committee. Should a deadline fall on a weekend or holiday, then the deadline will be moved forward to the next business day. For additional information or questions regarding our clinical internship program, please contact the internship committee at [email protected]. 

Interview Process

St. Louis Children's Hospital does two rounds of interviews prior to offering the internship position on the ACLP's initial offer date. Candidates selected to participate in the first round interviews will be interviewed via phone. First round interviews will be conducted in a Multi-Mini Interview format, candidates can expect to interview with different members of the student selection team. Candidates selected to move forward to the second round of interviews will be required to interview in person at St. Louis Children's Hospital or via Microsoft Teams. During the second round, candidates can expect to interview with the student selection committee, the department manager, and have a tour of the facility. Official offers will begin on the ACLP initial offer date.

Frequently Asked Questions