Child Life Practicum & Internship
The Child Life team at WakeMed follows the Internship Offer and Acceptance Guidelines created by the Association of Child Life Professionals for both internship and practicum application deadlines. The Child Life team at WakeMed will be accepting "pre-internship"/ practicum applications for the Summer 2025 semester; the deadline to apply is January 3rd, 2025. At this time we are not offering a Summer 2025 Child Life internship.
In order to apply for internship or practicum placement, applicants must be enrolled in schools with which WakeMed has an affiliation agreement. For more information regarding educational institutions with which we have standing affiliation agreements, or for any questions regarding student opportunities, please email CLStudent@wakemed.org.
If you are interested in learning more about the child life profession, visit the website for the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP). The ACLP website has a wealth of resources for students and child life specialists, including membership opportunities, webinars, forums and general information.
Practicum Placement
A child life practicum placement is designed to introduce the student to the field of child life, as well as a variety of experiences facing children and adolescents in the healthcare setting. A Certified Child Life Specialist will supervise students while providing and assisting with individual and group interventions with children, adolescents and families.
A practicum placement is highly recommended for those considering a career as a Certified Child Life Specialist. Practicum students generally complete eight to ten hours per week for a minimum total of 120 hours. During the practicum, the student will complete various unit rotations to observe child life interventions that support children, adolescents and their families within the healthcare system. The student will complete an orientation process and participate in ongoing guidance and evaluation by the child life staff and site supervisor.
Practicum students will observe child life assessments, medical play, procedural preparation and coping, playroom programming, and work with volunteers. Students also develop documentation skills, participate in special events and hospital committees, and may observe trauma and bereavement support. >
Selection criteria for practicum placement include the following:
- Evaluation of application
- Interview
- Relevant coursework that meets the requirements for Child Life Certification (More information is available at ChildLife.org)
- Grades and GPA in relevant coursework
- A strong background of previous experience working with children and families
- Affiliation with an educational institution
Practicum Job Description 
and Practicum Application
Internship Placement
The internship placement is for spans 16 weeks (40 hours per week) for a minimum of 600 hours. It is a full-time training program designed for graduate and senior undergraduate students with majors in Child Life or a closely related degree program that are pursuing a career as a Certified Child Life Specialist.
During the internship, interns will the student will complete various unit rotations to observe and implement child life interventions that support children, adolescents and their families within the healthcare system. The intern will complete an orientation process and participate in ongoing guidance and evaluation by the child life staff and site supervisor. Interns will participate in and facilitate child life assessments, medical play, procedural preparation and coping, provide playroom programming, and learn to supervise volunteers. Interns also develop documentation skills, participate in special events and hospital committees, and will participate in trauma and bereavement support.
A Certified Child Life Specialist will supervise interns while providing and assisting with individual and group interventions with children, adolescents and families. Interns must have completed curriculum in child development and related course work. The student should have previous work and/or volunteer experience working with children.
Selection criteria for an internship placement include the following:
- Evaluation of application
- Interview
- Relevant coursework that meets the requirements for Child Life Certification (More information is available at ChildLife.org)
- Successful completion of a course taught by a Certified Child Life Specialist prior to start date of placement. This course is not required to be completed in order to submit your application, but must be able to be completed prior to the placement start date.
- Grades and GPA in relevant coursework
- A strong background of previous experience working with children and families
- Affiliation with an educational institution
Internship Job Description Internship Application