Practicum and Internship
Child Life Practicum
The MSCL program partners with the Child Life department at MUSC's Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital to offer students a valuable practicum experience. This unique opportunity integrates the practicum with coursework during the first three semesters of study. Students are able to work alongside Certified Child Life Specialists for over 100 hours of close mentorship and observation. Our students facilitate activities throughout the hospital and are challenged to develop effective play programming for children and adolescents. In addition, students will design a full-day program in the hospital playroom (atrium) and develop child life resources for patients, families, and medical care providers.
Child Life Internship
Our program provides educational and community-based experiences to best prepare students for the competitive process of internship selection. We believe our model of close mentorship and supervision best ensures the success of our students in securing internship positions during the final spring semester. Internships are required to qualify to sit for the ACLP certification exam and for graduation.
MSCL students have completed internships at the following hospitals:
- AdventHealth for Children
- Children’s of Alabama
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
- Children’s Hospital Colorado
- Children’s Hospital of Greenville Health System
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Children’s Medical Center Dallas
- Children’s National Health System
- East Tennessee Children’s Hospital
- Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida
- Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital
- The Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
- The Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Levine Children's Hospital
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- MUSC Health Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital
- Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
- Nicklaus Children's Hospital
- NorthShore University HealthSystem
- Norton Children’s Hospital
- Prisma Health Children's Hospital-Upstate (Greenville)
- Prisma Health Children's Hospital-Midlands (Columbia)
- Seattle Children’s Hospital
- St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
- Texas Children’s Hospital
- University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital
- UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
- Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville
Job Placement
Our goal is for students to feel confident and competent in their graduate education and applied skills. Our past graduates have been successful in passing the ACLP certification examination (100% pass rate on first attempt) and securing positions as Certified Child Life Specialists.
MSCL graduates work/have worked:
- Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
- Camp Happy Days
- Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock
- Children's Hospital of Georgia: Augusta University Health
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
- Children's Medical Center Dallas
- Children's Hospital of Greenville Health System
- Cohen Children’s Medical Center
- Dayton Children's Hospital
- Driscoll Children's Hospital
- Levine Children's Hospital
- The Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
- MUSC Health Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital
- Mission Children's Hospital
- NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital
- Prisma Health Children’s Hospital
- Seattle Children's Hospital
- Texas Children's Hospital
- University of Virginia Children's Hospital
- UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh