Child Life Practicum Experience
A Child Life Practicum is one of the first steps in the Student’s journey to becoming a Child Life Specialist. A Child Life Practicum is a unique experience that allows the Student to discover more about the Child Life profession and the role of a Certified Child Life Specialist within the medical team without providing direct patient care.
The UH Rainbow Child Life Practicum experience offers the Student the opportunity to learn from practicing Certified Child Life Specialists within a 16-week semester for a total experience of 128+ hours. The Student is assigned inpatient and outpatient unit rotations with Certified Child Life Specialists who serve as their preceptors and mentors for shadowing, processing, and instruction. This allows the Student to observe Child Life clinical interventions with a variety of patient populations and needs. The Student is also assigned a Child Life Supervisor who facilitates weekly supervision meetings. These weekly supervision meetings provide the Student with additional support, discussion, and processing related to their clinical experiences and assignments. Additionally, the Student has readings and in-services on topics relevant to the Child Life profession as well as required assignments and a case study. The UH Rainbow Child Life Practicum experience aligns with the Student’s academic curriculum, builds upon the academic coursework, and focuses on the Student’s further development and understanding of the Child Life profession.
Child Life Practicum Prerequisites
Qualified Student applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Child Life Certificate program at an affiliated College/University during your Child Life Practicum experience (i.e. currently enrolled and receiving credit specifically toward the completion of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or Child Life Certificate). (Independent Students are not accepted due to hospital policies)
- If enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s program, a Child Life major (or concentration in Child Life) or a major in a related field to Child Life is required (e.g. Child Development, Education, Family Studies, etc.).
- If enrolled in a Child Life Certificate program, a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree must be completed in a related field to Child Life (e.g. Child Development, Education, Family Studies, etc.).
- Please Note: An Educational Affiliation Agreement between your College/University and UH Rainbow is required but can be initiated after an official offer is accepted. The Student will be considered “pending” until the Affiliation Agreement is in place. The Affiliation Agreement process can take several months and the Student cannot begin their experience until the Affiliation is secured.
- Have successfully completed the following courses:
- Child Development
- Child Life Theory & Practice (or course equivalent). This course must be taught by a Certified Child Life Specialist as outlined by the ACLP.
- Have completed Relevant Experience Hours in the following areas at the time of your Application submission:
- A minimum of 50 hours of in-person experience in a pediatric hospital setting interacting directly with pediatric patients and their families (e.g. volunteer, child life assistant, etc.).
* Virtual experience hours are not accepted for this category.
* Hours must be completed at the time of your Application submission. - A minimum of 50 hours of experience with infants, children, youth and/or families (e.g. nanny, camp counselor, teacher, programs for children with special needs, advocacy programs, etc.).
* Both in-person and virtual experience hours are accepted for this category.
* Hours must be completed at the time of your Application submission.
Child Life Practicum Application Process
Please contact the UH Rainbow Child Life Student Coordinator to: 1) inquire about the status of our Student Programming for the specific session in which you are interested, 2) request the detailed outline of the UH Rainbow Child Life Practicum prerequisites and application process, and 3) request the current UH Rainbow Child Life Practicum Application. There are no fees for the application process or the UH Rainbow Child Life Practicum experience. Your UH Rainbow Practicum Application and ALL required documents must be submitted to ChildLifeStudents@UHhospitals.org in one (1) email.
The UH Rainbow Child Life Clinical Student Program follows the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) application guidelines, deadlines, and offer dates. Your UH Rainbow Child Life Practicum Application must be emailed by the ACLP’s deadline dates for the specific session to which you are applying.
Please Note: A UH Rainbow Child Life Practicum Application submission with an incomplete Application, missing documents, or emailed after the ACLP’s deadline date will not be considered.
Child Life Practicum Selection Process
Students will receive an email confirmation when their UH Rainbow Child Life Practicum Application submission has been received and correspondence will continue during each step of the selection process. All Applications will be reviewed by the UH Rainbow Child Life Student Committee. However, the review of a Student’s Application does not guarantee the Student’s advancement to interview.
The UH Rainbow Child Life Student Committee will conduct two rounds of interviews. From the pool of Student applicants, a select number of Students will be contacted and offered a phone interview. Once all phone interviews are complete, a select number of Students will be contacted and offered advancement to a second interview. Second interviews will be conducted via Zoom. The final selection of a Student(s) for a Child Life Practicum experience at UH Rainbow is based on the Student’s completed Application, application essays, personal interviews, and references. If selected, a formal offer will be made to the Student(s) consistent with the ACLP’s offer date and process guidelines.
Soon after the Student accepts the formal offer for the Child Life Practicum experience at UH Rainbow, the UH Rainbow Child Life Student Coordinator will work with the Student to begin the coordination of their Educational Affiliation Agreement (if needed), UH Rainbow on-boarding, and will be the point person for future communication, scheduling, and orientation. The Student must complete the UH Rainbow on-boarding process prior to the start date of their clinical experience.
Contact Us
To inquire about the status of our Child Life Practicum for a specific session, to request the detailed outline of the UH Rainbow Child Life Practicum prerequisites and application process, to request the current UH Rainbow Child Life Practicum Application, or for any further questions, please contact:
Lissy Zaremba, MA, CCLS
Clinical Educator | Child Life Student Coordinator
Phone: (216) 844-1353
Email: Lissy.Zaremba@UHhospitals.org