be_ixf;ym_202512 d_03; ct_50

Child Life Specialists

Child Life Specialists are trained to help children and their families understand and manage challenging life events and stressful medical experiences. Because children process information from the world around them differently than adults, they have distinct needs for managing the effects of stress and trauma. Without assistance from a professional who understands their unique perspective, children of all ages may experience emotions such as fear, shame, confusion, anger and loneliness, which can inhibit their natural development, and have lasting negative effects on their wellbeing and future health-related choices.

Child Life Specialists have concentrated their studies, at the bachelor or master’s degree level, in child development and in promoting effective coping through play, preparation, education and self-expression activities. They provide emotional support for families and encourage optimum development for children facing a broad range of challenging experiences, particularly those related to health care and hospitalization. The American Academy of Pediatrics affirms that Child Life is “…an essential component of quality health care,” and, at Beacon Children’s Hospital, Child Life Specialists work as integral members of the multidisciplinary team of nurses, physicians, social workers, dietitians, therapists, and others, to ensure that pediatric patients and their families receive “family-centered care” at the highest level of quality possible.

Services provided by Child Life Specialists may include:

  • Advocating for the special needs of hospitalized infants, children, teens and their families.
  • Using developmentally appropriate play and activities as a way to help patients adjust to being hospitalized and understand the medical treatments, procedures and equipment needed for their care (read the Child Life Council Evidence-Based Practice Statement Summary.)
  • Offering emotional support and suggestions for coping with fear, anxiety and being away from home or family.
  • Promoting development by helping children do things that are part of their normal routine.
  • Encouraging comfort positions and non-pharmacological pain management during painful procedures.

The Child Life program at Beacon Children’s Hospital offers patients and their families special events throughout the week to help normalize the hospital environment and encourage activity similar to what patients would be experiencing if they were at home. Some of those special events include:

  • Facility dog: a program that brings a specifically trained and certified dog to visit interested patients.
  • BINGO: happens Mondays and Fridays at Noon.  Play from your room via our in-house video cam. Win prizes!
  • Periodically we have special guests sponsored by “The Sweet Pea Foundation” like a magician, a nature program by the St. Joeseph County Parks & Recreation staff, and sometimes a Steel Drummer comes to play for us.
  • Weekly story time
  • We make every effort to celebrate the individual and community – based events in life such as a birthday, national holidays, seasons, etc., with our patients while hospitalized.

For more information about the Child Life Program at Beacon Children’s Hospital, call 574.647.6337 or email childlife@BeaconHealthSystem.org.

Beacon Children’s Child Life Practicum Program

We are currently accepting applications for our practicum experience for the Fall and Spring semesters. We follow ACLP guidelines for application submission, (see below for dates). Please submit your child life common application, current resume and official or unofficial transcripts to childlife@beaconhealthsystem.org

What is a Child Life Practicum?

The Child Life Practicum Program at Beacon Children’s Hospital is designed to introduce the student to the hospital environment and to the child life profession. Primary responsibilities include providing play opportunities to patients and assisting with program support activities. In addition, practicum students will have opportunities to observe Certified Child Life Specialists in their work on the Inpatient Pediatric/PICU floor and the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Infusions Clinic. The child life practicum provides introductory experiences aiding the students’ development towards becoming a Certified Child Life Specialist.

Prerequisites

  • Be enrolled in a college or university for the duration of the practicum experience
  • Have completed a minimum of 5 courses in Child Life or related topics.
  • Be at a minimum junior level standing in their baccalaureate program before starting the practicum program.
  • Complete a minimum of 50 hours working or volunteering with typically developing children and provide proof of hours (summer camp, church groups, nanny, etc).
  • Complete a minimum of 30 hours working or volunteering with children in a hospital setting, medically fragile daycare or summer camp and provide proof of hours.

Assignments

This practicum follows the pre-internship modules designed by the ACLP. Assignments include:

  • Daily Journal Entries
  • Readings with worksheets
  • Therapeutic activity plans
  • Developmental assessments
  • Final project designed for use in our facility
  • Mock Interview

Schedule

The schedule is subject to change and will be discussed during the interview process. Typically, the commitment is two days a week (14 hours) for approximately 11 weeks. The practicum experience will be for one semester only (Fall or Spring.)

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

Fall: March 15
Winter/Spring: September 5

* Our program follows the ACLP deadlines for Internship Applications*