At Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Child Life Services focuses on enhancing the psychosocial experience within the hospital environment. We have a team of Child Life Specialists, Child Life Activity Coordinators, School Teachers and a Special Event Coordinator who work to reduce the stress and anxiety that typically comes with hospitalization. Recognizing the importance of investing in the field of child life, we currently offer two educational opportunities for students pursuing a career in child life.
The child life team at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital is committed to creating a safe and accessible environment where individuals feel they belong. We strive to promote a culture of appreciation and respect for all. We welcome representation in all forms. We collaborate and engage the unique perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences of our team and the community we serve. Upholding the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare values of service, quality, integrity, teamwork and innovation, the child life team embraces the differences across all human experiences.
The Le Bonheur Children's Hospital Child Life Clinical Internship program has signed the ACLP Internship Equity & Access Pledge. More information about this pledge can be found at ACLP Internship Equity & Access Pledge.
Child Life Practicum
We are not offering a Child Life Practicum for Summer 2025. Please check this page for up-to-date information regarding future practicum opportunities.
For those seeking pre-internship experiences within a hospital setting, check out our volunteer programs.
To inquire about opportunities to job shadow a child life specialist, check out our job shadowing information. To connect with a job shadowing supervisor, please email child.life@lebonheur.org.
Child Life Clinical Internship
Hospitals and academic programs in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee will be participating in the Southeastern Association of Child Life Professionals (SEACLP) match program for the Spring 2026 cycle. This program is an effort to enhance the child life internship application process for all stakeholders. Our child life program has chosen to participate in this program, and therefore, we will only be accepting applications from matriculating students affiliated with one of the academic programs participating in the program. Outside of the match program, our child life program will not be taking interns for the Spring of 2026. For a list of hospitals and universities participating in the match program, visit the SEACLP Instagram page @SEACLP.
Our child life internship program is a 6-month, paid internship opportunity that will give students practical, intensive experiences in the child life profession. Under the guidance of Certified Child Life Specialists, interns participate in the development and implementation of therapeutic, educational and recreational activities for patients and their families. Interns will be given exposure in a variety of settings to promote optimal growth and development as they transition from student to professional. This is accomplished through exposure to inpatient, outpatient, and critical care units as the student makes the transition from building foundational skills to practicing these skills independently. Additionally, with rolling start dates, our goal is for there to be an added layer of peer-to-peer student support and opportunities for connection with other interns throughout the internship experience.
Details regarding this internship opportunity are below:
- Follows ACLP Clinical Internship requirements for certification.
- Requires a 6-month time commitment.
- Intern will be paid during the entirety of the internship.
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Internship dates may not align with university semesters.
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University affiliation is not required at this hospital.
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All coursework is required to be completed before the start of the internship.
If you are interested in becoming a child life specialist, please refer to the Association of Child Life Professionals' website at https://www.childlife.org/certification/become-certified.
To contact the Child Life team, email Child.Life@lebonheur.org.
Additional Educational Opportunities
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital has partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Center to provide a Child Life 101 to those interested in pursuing a career as a Certified Child Life Specialist. For more information about the Child Life 101, please follow this link.
