Child Life Intern

Children's Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children's Minnesota is one system serving kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, nine primary care clinics, multiple specialty clinics and seven rehabilitation sites.

As The Kids Experts in our region, Children's Minnesota is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children's hospital. Find us on Facebook @childrensminnesota or on Twitter and Instagram ase visit childrensMN.org. Children's Minnesota is proud to be recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of 2023’s Top Diversity Leaders. The national honor recognizes the top diverse healthcare executives and organizations influencing public policy, care delivery, and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in their organizations and the industry.

The Child Life group promotes the continuous development of children to optimize their responses to medical care, to minimize psychological stress and trauma, and to increase understanding and coping with illness and health care experiences. Child Life provides children with opportunities for gaining a sense of mastery, for play, for learning, for self-expression, for family involvement and for peer interaction. As members of the health care team, child life staff advocate for children and families in ambulatory and inpatient settings.

They serve as resources to all staff and to the community on issues related to child development and child health experiences.

The child life internship program provides intense working experience in child life. We place an emphasis on candidates with a strong background in cultural awareness and issues related to equity and diversity. We are interested in supporting students while working from an equity lens, and are committed to educating and supporting students who reflect the diversity of the patients and families we serve.

Child life Interns under the supervision of a certified child life specialist (CCLS) will contribute to: the promotion of the continuous development of children, optimizing patients' responses to medical care, to minimize psychological stress and trauma, and to increase coping with illness and health care experiences. The child life intern will function as part of an interdisciplinary, patient- and family-centered model of care, collaborating with the patient & family, physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, and other members of the health care team to develop a comprehensive plan of care.

Child life interns will develop skills in partnering with families and tailoring individual interventions to meet each child's fear or need around their medical experiences. This is particularly valuable for children who are anxious or struggling to cope with stressful circumstances. The child life intern will contribute to child life department initiatives around non-patient facing work as well. This includes but is not limited to donation management, special event planning, engagement with the community, professional development, etc.

Interns will have opportunities to work with patients and families in the following ways:
Completing child life assessments, clinical interventions (psychological preparation, medical play, procedural support, grief and loss support, new diagnosis education, teaching coping skills, adjustment to a new acute or chronic health diagnosis, family support, increasing adherence to care plan, etc.), documentation…