Child-Family Life Services

Child-Family Life staff are experts in helping families cope with illness and hospitalization. They provide services that focus on all three areas in their name: child, family and life.

Child

Our staff work with children from infancy through adolescence and provide age-appropriate opportunities to understand what is happening to them and express feelings about their healthcare experiences.

• New diagnosis education
• Education and preparation for medical procedures
• Procedural support and coping skill development
• Medical play opportunities
• Pre-surgery hospital tours
• Therapeutic interventions to promote coping

Family

We know that parents and family members are the best source of support and comfort for their child. When all family members feel comfortable and confident in the healthcare environment, the patient will feel more secure. Child-Family Life supports family members through:

• Helping parents understand their child’s behavior in the healthcare setting
• Helping parents learn how to support their child during procedures
• Helping siblings understand illness and the effect it can have on them

Sibshops is a monthly sibling support group offering fun, therapeutic activities to brothers and sisters who may be experiencing a variety of emotions.  Look for more information and register at ChildrensCancer.org/Sibshops.

Life

Hospitalized and chronically ill children need to grow and develop as they normally would at home and in their community. In order to facilitate normal growth and development in the hospital setting, Child-Family Life specialists help children learn and express themselves by supporting:

• Creative programming
• Play and interaction with other children
• Playroom activities
• Special hospital events
• Special community guests

The Child Family Life department at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s hospital provides internship and practicum opportunities during the fall and spring semesters and abides by the Association of Child Life Professional’s (ACLP’s) standards for application deadlines. 

Internship

Entrance Requirements

The following minimum entrance requirements are consistent with national standards endorsed by the Association of Child Life Professionals.

• Bachelor’s Degree or last semester senior; we do accept unaffiliated students
• Minimum GPA of 3.0
• Verifiable Supervised Clinical Experience
  • At least 100 hours of well child experience
  • At least 100 hours of experience with hospitalized children
• Have had experience with all age groups of children; infant/toddler, school-aged, and adolescent. Experience with a variety of developmental levels & cultures is beneficial.
• Ability to commit to child life internship. The University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital offers a 16 week, 640 hour full time internship. Work hours vary depending upon the needs of the patients on each unit.
• Ability to participate in a mandatory personal interview
• Ability to pass a mandatory health screening

The Application Process 

Individuals meeting the minimum entrance requirements may submit an application to the following address:

University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital