Important Updates
Acceptance of Fall 2025 child life internship applications at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital has concluded. We accepted the first 50 applications starting March 1st, 2025, at 12pm CST. We were unable to accept applications that were submitted before the deadline date or time.
Our philosophy
We are a program that is dedicated to developing creative and innovative approaches in supporting and advocating for children and families in an effort to minimize the psychological trauma of life-threatening illnesses. Therapeutic play, education, preparation, and legacy building are instrumental in our daily goals to promote normal development, self-expression, peer interaction, family centered care, a sense of mastery, and developed coping.
Interns are seen as helping us to fulfill this mission side by side while caring for our St. Jude patients. Our philosophy continues as job entry specialists leave our program and begin their own careers continuing to support children as experienced, knowledgeable, and confident professionals.
Our history
Child life was instituted at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in 1994 resulting from the research seen widely in the medical community of the benefits of children’s coping with stressful experiences through play. In 1998 developing a child life program became an institutional objective which included national managerial recruitment. Today, child life at St Jude Children's Research Hospital is an integral part of the medical team and is visible in every clinical arena from patient care to institutional program development. We currently have 21 certified child life specialists, 3 board certified music therapists, and a patient activity coordinator. St. Jude has had a child life internship program (in its current form) since 2008 and was accredited by the ACLP in 2017.
Internship Experience
We believe strongly in balancing both “hands on” child life experience coupled with essential educational components. There are educational seminars presented by staff for interns as well as weekly discussion/ wrap up meetings for peer support development. Seminars are given throughout the internship, i.e., child life assessment, diagnosis teaching, documentation, impact of hospitalization, legacy building, medical play, preparation, prioritization.
The internship is 640 hours (16 weeks) of clinical experience with immersion in inpatient and outpatient settings. Our medical service lines include Transplant and Cell Therapy (BMT), Radiology (DI), and Infectious Diseases. Hours are generally Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm with a few opportunities for nights and weekends.
The Child Life Program is proud to offer stipends for students completing a child life internship. By investing in stipends, we hope to support student professionals by acknowledging barriers, reducing burden, and fostering emotional safety. One identified burden includes any financial constraints that may otherwise prohibit a student’s ability to pursue a child life specialist profession. In order to qualify for a stipend, a child life internship student must be enrolled in a college or university and complete 40 internship hours a week. Stipends pay $15 per hour.
Application Process
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Child Life Program follows CLCC and ACLP internship application guidelines. A completed Internship Readiness Common Application includes the following components: 1. Evaluation Report from the Eligibility Assessment, 2. Internship Readiness Common Application Fillable PDF, and 3. Unofficial Transcripts.
Please use the link below for access to the application and learn more about the the Internship Readiness Common Application Overview.