Child Life Internship Program at the MUHC

The Child Life clinical internship program at the Montreal Children’s Hospital is designed for both undergraduate students at the end of their academic program and graduate students to further develop their clinical skills who are enrolled in various university programs such as Child Studies, Child Development and Recreational Therapy. This internship provides students with the opportunity and learning experience centered around the impact of hospitalization on child development and based on child life competencies that are in alignment with the up-to-date ACLP internship curriculum.  

The internship in this dynamic program is highly structured and provides multiple opportunities for unique, individualized learning. The internship consists of:

• 600 unpaid clinical hours, which is structured as 35-hours per week for 17 weeks.  Intern schedules at the Montreal Children’s Hospital may vary according to clinical rotations.  
• Three 5-week rotations are offered on inpatient and/or outpatient units. Possible rotations include; Inpatient and outpatient Hematology/Oncology, Outpatient Clinics (Pediatric Day Center, Complex Care, Pediatric Test Center), Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Pediatric Acute Care Unit, Day Surgery and both Medical and Medical/Surgical inpatient wards. Playroom/group programming is also incorporated. 
• Interns are assigned a Clinical supervisor throughout their internship with at least 5 years of experience who will support and guide them throughout this process.    
• Clinical supervisors and clinical rotation supervisors strive to assist students as they apply theory to practice through a combination of didactic and experiential learning. 

The Montreal Children’s Hospital is a teaching hospital within the McGill University Health Care. Interns are given various educational opportunities including Grand Rounds, Schwartz Rounds, student seminars, and in-services. Interns also have access to resources and medical libraries on-site.  

How to apply

• In order to be considered, all candidates must be bilingual (French/English) and enrolled in a university at the time of their application. A university affiliation agreement between the candidate’s university and the Mcgill University Health Center is required.  Please do not submit an application if you are an independent student. 
• Proof of liability insurance from the university or the applicant must also be provided. 
• All applications must be electronically submitted prior to application deadlines indicated below. 

• Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed. 
• Submission of an application does not guarantee that the candidate will receive an interview or an internship placement. 

Submission requirements

Within the application, please include all of the following: 

• Candidates must provide proof of academic enrolment in university program and degree information 
• Name and contact information of your academic program coordinator 
• Curriculum Vitae 
• A letter of interest 
• Status of Child Life Certification Commission Required Coursework 
• Child Life course taught by a CCLS 
  • A minimum of 2 child development courses that cover ages birth -18 
  • Family systems course 
  • Play course 
  • Loss/Bereavement or death/dying course 
  • Research course 
  • 3 additional courses in related content areas 
• Documentation of relevant experience involving children within and outside a healthcare setting. Knowledge regarding the Child Life Internship Readiness Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities (KSAs) a bonus. 

Interview process

All application materials will be reviewed by the Child Life professional coordinator and education committee at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Select candidates will be contacted for an interview on location or virtually. 

Due to the extensive nature of this internship, we recommend that interns no have other full commitments during this experience. 

*ACLP internship verification form will be signed at the completion of all hours and observation of all achieved competencies, as well as midterm and final child life evaluation.  

Questions

If you have further questions, please contact the:

• Child Life Professional Coordinator at [email protected] and our education committee [email protected],  [email protected] .