Student Internship and Practicum

We offer field experience opportunities for students who are earnest in their pursuit of the child life profession.

Internships

The Child Life Internship offers candidates an environment rich in experience and support that will prepare them for the career ahead. Primary rotations can include the inpatient pediatric unit, the emergency department  and the perioperative setting. These primary rotations are supplemented by inclusion in our work with patients admitted for mental health concerns, consults for bereavement and disability support, and work with our facility dog. The majority of the internship happens during weekdays, however some flexibility of schedule is requested in order to provide optimal learning in each rotation.

Our team believes that internships are a mutual learning experience – that our supervisors can learn from students just as our students learn from our supervisors. We look for candidates who are flexible, engaged, and willing to make – and learn from – mistakes, and we hope to present the same to you as supervisors.

A Note on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Our team is passionate about increasing the diversity of the child life profession through improving equity in access to internships. Though the information below describes our traditional internship process, if you are someone interested in pursuing the child life profession and would like to have a conversation about alternative pathways forward, please connect with Kristy Berksza, our internship coordinator (contact info at the bottom of the page). We are open to different formats of internship including nights/weekends and full-year/part-time pathways. We also encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to pursue the ACLP Diversity Scholarships offered each internship session.  

Spring and Fall Sessions

We traditionally offer internships in the spring and fall semesters.

• The spring internship is reserved for applicants from Boston University only.
• For our fall internship, we accept all applicants – those affiliated with an academic institution and those applying independently.

Internship Application Information

Timing:

The NWH Child Life internship program follows the ACLP’s recommended internship application deadlines.

Academics and Experience:

Candidates should have completed or be in the final semester of finishing the coursework for the ACLP Eligibility Assessment. We do NOT require applicants to have completed a practicum.

Process:

Only the ACLP Internship Readiness Common Application will be accepted. Applicants should read the ACLP documents about Internship Readiness Knowledge, Skills, and Application and Language Associated with the Internship Readiness Common Application prior to beginning their application. An Internship Readiness Common Application Guide is also available for review. Further resources are found here.

Download application

Applicants may download the Internship Readiness common app (fillable PDF).

When the application is finalized, please submit the application in an email attachment to our internship coordinator Kristy Berksza. No other documentation (cover letters, resumes, etc.) will be reviewed. A confirmation email will be sent to confirm receipt of your application.

Applicants will be notified via email whether or not they are selected to continue to the interview stage. Interviews are conducted via Microsoft Teams only – no in-person interviews will be offered. Applicants selected for interviews should gather contact information for 3 references (NOT letters of recommendation) to be provided after the interview. References will only be contacted if absolutely necessary during the final decision consideration.

As stated above, offers will be made via the ACLP recommended internship application deadlines. If you have questions or would like more information about our internships, please contact Internship Coordinator Kristy Berksza at 617-243-5691 or by email.

Summer Practicum

The Child Life team at Newton-Wellesley Hospital offers a summer practicum experience. Learning is primarily based in the peri-operative area where we emphasize the basics of medical play, building rapport with patients and families, and “getting your feet wet” in the day-to-day of child life work. The experience also offers brief exposure to the other areas we serve (inpatient pediatrics, mental health, emergency department, facility dog).  We use the ACLP Pre-Internship Modules to guide the experience and ensure thought processes and skill development that prepare students for a child life internship.

**Our internship program does NOT require a practicum. However, we are happy to offer this experience to help those still interested in learning more about the child life profession and advancing their skills in psychosocial support.**

Application Process:

We have developed a practicum application to mirror the ACLP internship readiness common application. This both allows us to better understand an applicant’s experiences and readiness for practicum, as well as reduces bias in the application process. It also allows applicants to get some practice applying in the same format used for internship applications. Applications are accepted from January 1 through February 1 each year and offers will be made by March 15.

When ready, applicants can download and complete the NWH Practicum Application. Completed applications should be submitted in pdf format as an email attachment to our internship coordinator Kristy Berksza. No other documentation (cover letters, resumes, etc.) will be reviewed.  A confirmation email will be sent to confirm receipt of your application.   

Applicants will be notified via email whether they are selected to continue to the interview stage. Interviews are conducted via Microsoft Teams only – no in-person interviews will be offered.

As stated above, offers will be made by March 15.

Child Life Department, Newton-Wellesley Hospital
2014 Washington Street
Newton, MA 02462
Phone: 617-243-5691
Email: NWHChildlife@gmail.com