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The Child Life Department at the UCSF Children's Hospital offers child life and child development practicum and internship programs to students and interns interested in this field of health care. Participants must meet several requirements to qualify for the internship and practicum programs.

During a practicum at UCSF, students participate primarily in the playroom, with a weekly focus on developmental and hospitalization issues. During an internship, interns are assigned a primary supervisor with whom they meet once a week to discuss goals, journal entries, their case study, and specific rotations and interventions.

UCSF Children's Hospital is a world-renowned tertiary care teaching hospital. The Child Life Department helps children and families adjust to and understand hospitalization, illness, injury and treatment. We also offer a number of services designed to make the hospital experience as positive as possible for both patients and their families.

Child Life Practicum Program

The Child Life Practicum Program is open to college students enrolled in Mills College Child Life Program or child development courses at San Francisco State University. This is a 12-week program that offers child development and child life students the opportunity to interact with children in our playroom and at the bedside. Students are offered several learning opportunities to better understand the impact of hospitalization on child development. Students must work eight hours a week (two days a week, four hours a day) and are required to keep a weekly journal, read articles on various topics and participate in topic discussion sessions. During the 12 weeks, students must complete an administrative project focused on programming in the playroom.

The complete list of student responsibilities during the practicum includes:

• Two days a week, with a four hour shift each day. Shifts entail two hours in the playroom, one hour playroom support that includes cleaning toys, stocking playroom, sorting donations or other projects, and one hour bedside interventions.
• Written goals for practicum, which is due the third week of the program.
• Readings and participation in bi-monthly topic discussion with supervisor. Topics include introduction to the child life field, the value of play with hospitalized children, the hospitalized infant/toddler, preschool children, school age children and adolescents. Students will complete reading and a short answer assignment prior to topic discussion.
• Bi-monthly meeting with supervisor, daily brief check-in with the child life specialist in charge of programming during your shift.
• Weekly journal entries, which are turned in the first day of the following week.
• Programming focused project. For example, developing a playroom schedule for a month, redesigning or organizing an area of the playroom such as books or dramatic play, or creating medical play kits, etc.
• Observation of a child life specialist providing a preparation for procedure intervention.
• Students are assigned a primary supervisor with whom they meet to discuss topics, goals, journal entries, and specific observations and interventions. Students will help plan and implement age-appropriate activities for playroom, keep a journal of interactions, including developmental assessments and complete a simple project.

Requirements for Practicum

• Enrollment in either: Mills College Child Life Program or San Francisco State University child development courses
• Completion of full application process (as listed below)
• UCSF Volunteer Department application
• Interview and orientation
• Health clearance (proof of immunizations, up to date tuberclosis test)
Photo identification
• Volunteer orientation, meeting with staff of Volunteer Services and finger printing.

It is important to note that practicum students are registered as UCSF volunteers and must adhere strictly to volunteer policies, including wearing a blue polo shirt and volunteer photo identification at all times.

Make-Up Shifts

If you are sick, have a family emergency or other scheduling conflict and need to miss one of your scheduled shifts, you must make up that time within two weeks. After three absences, termination of your practicum will be discussed with your UCSF primary supervisor and your university supervisor/instructor.

Application Process

Applications must be received by the following dates to be considered for the practicum program:

• Fall Placement: Aug. 5
• Spring Placement: Dec. 5

In addition to a completed application form the following is also required:

• Your resume
• A letter of interest
• One letter of recommendation
• Transcripts or a list of completed coursework. Please include undergraduate and graduate work if applicable to field of child life.

You will be contacted after the due date to review your application. Candidates meeting practicum criteria will interview with a member of the child life team. A decision will be made following this interview. A total of four practicum students are accepted per semester.

To apply for a practicum or for more information please contact Eileen McCree in the UCSF Child Life Department at (415) 353-1203 or you can email McCree at Eileen.McCree@ucsfmedctr.org.

Mailing Address:

Requirements for Internship

• Minimum of 50 hours child life volunteer experience
• Completion of full application process (as listed below)
• Health clearance (proof of immunizations, up to date TB test)
• Photo identification
• Documentation of liability insurance coverage or insurance coverage through a university affiliated with UCSF. This is in place for students from Mills College or through private liability insurance.
• Minimum of 24 hours a week, including some evening and Saturday hours
• Weekly meeting with supervisor
• Journal, including sample chart notes and developmental assessments
• Case study, which will be presented to the child life team
• Observation of an in-service for first semester students and presentation of an in-service for second semester students
• Completion of rotations
• Completed project, which should directly benefit child life programming needs and goals and be approved by your supervisor

Application Process

Applications (see below to download application) must be received by the following dates to be considered for the internship program:

• Summer Placement: Jan. 5
• Fall Placement: May 5
• Spring Placement: Sept. 5

In addition to a completed application form, the following is also required:

• Your resume
• A letter of interest
• One letter of recommendation
• Transcripts or a list of completed coursework. Please include undergraduate and graduate work if applicable to field of child life.

You will be contacted after the due date to review your application. Candidates meeting intern criteria will interview with a member or two of our team. A decision will be made following this interview. Two child life interns are accepted per semester.

Application for the Child Life Practicum and Internship Program.

Contact Information

To apply for an internship or for more information please contact Eileen McCree in the UCSF Child Life Department at (415) 353-1203 (press 3, 2, 2) or email her at Eileen.McCree@ucsfmedctr.org

Mailing Address:
Child Life Department
UCSF Children's Hospital
505 Parnassus Ave., L-171, Box 0210
San Francisco, CA 94143-0210

Application for the Child Life Practicum and Internship Program.