Child Life Internship Program

Child life student internship placements are assigned according to the three-semester calendar cycle. Application forms for each semester must be received in accordance to the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP)’s recommended internship application and offer dates:

View the Internship Deadlines.

Internships are offered to currently enrolled bachelor’s- or master’s-level students each semester whose career focus is to become a Child Life Specialist.

For legal purposes, applicants must be affiliated with an academic program throughout the duration of the internship session. Proof of this affiliation is required when applying (i.e. Letter from academic advisor).

This internship is designed around competencies for child life specialists endorsed by the ACLP. It provides students with an on-site, clinical training experience in an inpatient pediatric hospital and/or outpatient clinic setting.

The Child Life Internship program at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh has been accredited by the ACLP. We offer a very competitive program, accepting applicants from various universities. There are a limited amount of positions, therefore placements are not guaranteed. Applicants who have completed their Practicum experience at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh will not be considered for an Internship. After review of the applications, qualified candidates will be interviewed prior to any internship offers.

Interested candidates should familiarize themselves with the field of child life prior to applying by visiting the ACLP website. If interested in internship opportunities (considered “externship” at UPMC Children's) within the Child Life Department students should review our process on how to apply.

Please contact the individuals below with any additional questions:

Lindsay Bromberg, MS, CCLS, CIMI
Child Life Internship Coordinator
412-692-6103
Email: ChildLifeInternship@upmc.edu

Mike Shulock, MS, CCLS
Internship Coordination Team Member
412-692-6100
Email: ChildLifeInternship@upmc.edu

Lauryn Rozum, MS, CCLS
Internship Coordination Team Member
412-864-7271
Email: ChildLifeInternship@upmc.edu

Student placements are supervised by Certified Child Life Specialists who meet the requirements of the ACLP and who utilize the ACLP Clinical Internship Curriculum. Weekly supervision meetings are supplemented by several professional in-services. Attendance of lectures, seminars, rounds, conferences, and relevant meetings is mandatory. Interns are required to complete multiple assignments and projects. The internship experience meets the qualifications of the Child Life Certifying Committee for eligibility to sit for the certification exam.

Internship placements are unpaid. Students will be scheduled to work 40 hours a week for 16 weeks and will be expected to follow the schedule of their supervisor. Two rotations will be provided and students will have the potential of completing 640 hours during the internship.

Please note that submitting an application to our program does not guarantee you an interview.

Required components of your application:

1. ACLP Internship Readiness Application.
2. A current, unofficial transcript from your current college or university demonstrating a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Do not send transcripts from schools you are no longer attending.
3. ACLP Eligibility Assessment Report: In-progress coursework will be considered; however, we require confirmation of successful completion by the first day of internship.
4. We accept paid and unpaid experiences within and outside of healthcare settings as relevant opportunities for applicants to develop and demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) for internship readiness. We strongly encourage applicants have a minimum of 100 hours of experience in the healthcare setting.
5. A letter from your academic supervisor proving your affiliation to your college/university for the duration of the internship session.

The application must be attached as a PDF and emailed to: ChildLifeInternship@upmc.edu.

For your application to be considered "Complete" all parts of the application must be emailed in ONE email only, and nothing extra is to be sent. If something is missing from your application submission, you will not be permitted to resubmit.

The following are prerequisites after acceptance into the program and are to be completed before the first day:

1. Required readings PRIOR to the start of the internship:
• Bolig, Rosemary., Mahan, Carmel., Rollins, Judy. (2017). Meeting Children's Psychosocial Needs Across the Health-Care Continuum (2nd ed.), Pro-ed, Austin, TX
• Thompson, Richard. (2018). The Handbook of Child Life, A Guide for Pediatric Psychosocial Care (2nd ed.), Charles C. Thomas, Publisher. Springfield, IL.
2. A signed master agreement for internship participation between UPMC and college/university.
3. An advisor's plan for communicating with the Child Life Internship Coordinators during the internship period, i.e. observations, conferences, correspondence.
4. Documentation of valid CPR certification by the American Heart Association.
5. Health Requirements:
• Students must be in good health before beginning the internship. 
• A health screening with documentation of:
• Two-Step PPD/TB reading or QuantiFERON/T-spot blood test.
• Tdap Vaccine.
• Annual Influenza Vaccine (Flu Shot).
• Covid Vaccines.
• Bloodwork titers for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella.
• 2 doses of Varicella Vaccine or Varicella Bloodwork Titer or Documentation by Physician for history of disease.
• Hepatitis B Vaccines series.
6. Security Clearances: Students MUST comply with the Pennsylvania Acts 33, 34, and 73 requirements (Child Abuse, Criminal Background, and FBI clearances). This paperwork can be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Proof of all clearances MUST be submitted to the Internship Coordinator before the start of the internship, including Act 73 fingerprinting, www.identogo.com.