Become a Child Life Specialist
UMC Children’s Hospital Child Life Practicum Program provides students with a quality learning experience designed to introduce medical professionals to the Child Life specialization. We provide students with opportunities to gain experience caring for children and their families.
Practicum Program
UMC Children’s offers a Child Life Practicum that introduces students to the profession and prepares them for future internships. Along with shadowing certified child life specialists, students develop the skills to:
- Communicate with patients, families and other health professionals
- Enhance their professional attitude, maturity, judgement and work ethic
- Identify and understand reactions to stress, illness and pain
- Integrate theory and put research into practice
- Recognize the developmental, psychosocial and medical needs of patients and families
- Understand how child life specialists can help families normalize and cope with healthcare experiences
- Value play in a healthcare setting
- Work as part of an interdisciplinary team
Requirements
To be considered, students must:
- Be interested in a career as a child life specialist
- Be able to commit a minimum of 150 hours in one semester
- Be currently enrolled at Texas Tech University or Lubbock Christian University
- Maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher
- Have a minimum of two volunteer or work experiences: one within a healthcare setting and one outside of healthcare
- If accepted, be enrolled in the practicum course while completing the practicum
For more information, please see Practicum Requirements & Forms
Application Deadlines
Our Child Life Practicum Program is offered in the fall and spring. To be considered, please submit a complete application packet postmarked by the deadline:
| Semester | Application Deadline | Initial Offer Day |
| Fall | March 29 | May 7 |
| Spring | September 19 | October 10 |
Return the completed application packet to the following address:
UMC Children’s Hospital
Child Life Department
c/o Practicum Program
602 Indiana Avenue
Lubbock, TX 79415
For more information about our practicum program, please contact us at 806.775.8836 or childlife@umchealthsystem.com
UMC Children’s Hospital’s Child Life Clinical Internship:
UMC Children’s Hospital offers a Child Life internship that immerses students into the profession and prepares them for the certification exam and a future career as a Certified Child Life Specialist. Along with shadowing Certified Child Life Specialists and working in a clinical setting with patients, students will develop the skills to:
- Communicate with patients, families and other health professionals
- Enhance their professional attitude, maturity, judgement and work ethic
- Identify and understand reactions to stress, illness and pain
- Integrate theory and put research into practice
- Recognize the developmental, psychosocial and medical needs of patients and families
- Understand how child life specialists can help families normalize and cope with healthcare experiences
- Value play in a healthcare setting
- Work as part of an interdisciplinary team
The Child Life Intern will work under Certified Child Life Specialists during at least two rotations, an inpatient and outpatient rotation, as well as floating to other units throughout the internship. Along with the clinical piece of the Child Life Internship, the student will complete weekly readings, journal entries, and various other activities and projects throughout the semester. The internship will be 16 weeks and 640 hours over one semester. You must be affiliated with a university/school to be considered for the internship at UMC Children’s Hospital.
How to Apply:
- Download the PDF form of the Internship Readiness Common Application and complete by typing in your answers (instructions to complete are on the application and on the ACLP website). To access the form, CLICK HERE.
- Email your completed Internship Readiness Common Application along with your additional files (unofficial transcripts and in progress or complete Eligibility Assessment) to childlife@umchealthsystem.com
- We will accept an in-progress Eligibility Assessment but all of your coursework must be completed before you start the clinical internship.
- In the email subject line please include your name, internship session (spring or fall), and the internship year
Internship Application Deadlines:
*We follow the CLCC recommendations on the ACLP website for application dates*
| Internship Session | Application Deadline | Initial Offer Date | Acceptance Date |
| Fall | March 24 | May 6 | May 7 |
| Spring | September 5 | October 7 | October 8 |
For more information about our internship program, please contact us at 806.775.8836 or childlife@umchealthsystem.com