CHILD LIFE INTERNSHIP

Child Life internships are offered three times per year, beginning in January, May-June and September. Internships are full time and extend for 14 or more weeks, depending on school schedules. Because we are only able to interview students who meet the general prerequisites and our criteria for student selection, please review the following requirements before applying. To be eligible, you must be a college senior, graduate or master’s degree candidate and possess:

• Core curriculum classes or degree in child life, child development or a closely related field
• Student or work experience with children in group settings
• Knowledge of psychosocial issues related to illness or hospitalization
• Grade point average of B or better in major field of study

Interviews will be scheduled after the common child life internship application has been completed and submitted directly to our internship coordinator. You can access the application from the child life council's website.

Please note, in addittion to the common child life internship application, we also require:

• Resume
• Transcripts (both undergraduate and graduate if applicable)
• Three letters of recommendation

Please mail your application and additional materials to:

Application to the program does not guarantee admission. Once received, all of the materials will be reviewed thoroughly. Applications take a minimum of two weeks to process. Late applications will be considered only if space allows. Those individuals who qualify will be contacted by telephone to arrange an interview.

CHILD LIFE PRACTICUM

Child Life practicums  are offered three times per year, beginning in January, May-June and September. Application deadlines are the same as those for the internship (please see above). To apply for a child life practicum, please submit the following:

• Resume
• Transcripts (both undergraduate and graduate if applicable)
• Three letters of recommendation
• A 300- to 500-word essay describing how the work of a child life specialist contributes to the health care experience of children and families

Please mail your essay and additional materials to:

Shira Miller, MS, CCLS
Child Life Services. Room 599 Jones
Rush University Medical Center
1653 W. Congress Parkway
Chicago, IL 60612

Program Benefits

Our child life program is structured to meet the individual needs of patients and their families. We provide child life services seven days a week throughout the medical center. Our team consists of:

• Child life director
• Child life specialists serving patients ages 0-3 years, 4-12 years and 13+ years
• Child life specialist serving patients on the diagnostic platform
• Recreation therapist
• Art therapist
• Schoolteacher

• Working with a culturally and socioeconomically diverse patient population
• Working with patients with a broad range of pediatric diagnoses
• Experience in all areas of the medical center where child life has a presence, including general pediatrics, the pediatric intensive care unit, the neonatal intensive care unit, radiology, the Emergency Department and the dialysis unit
• Exposure to innovative child life programs, including Snow City Arts, Open Heart Magic, animal-assisted therapy, therapeutic humor