About our Program
A child life practicum is an invaluable pre-internship experience intended as an introduction to the field and to prepare students for a future child life internship. The goal of the child life pre-internship experience is to provide first-hand experience and education in connecting developmental theorist to clinical experience, primarily through observation. Throughout the pre-internship experience, students will be exposed to the role of child life in the pediatric healthcare setting, as well as medical terminology, childhood illnesses, injury, and treatment.
The child life pre-internship experience at Denver Health offers students the opportunity to learn and observe within the pediatric inpatient unit, the pediatric intensive care unit, the pediatric emergency department, and the pediatric outpatient clinics. Under the supervision of Certified Child Life Specialists, students will get the opportunity to observe different types of interventions and will be facilitating various activities at the bedside and in the playrooms. Students are also asked to complete weekly assignments and receive feedback and guidance about their experiences. Students must complete a minimum of 150 hours within a 13-week semester. We currently accept pre-internship experience students in the fall and spring semesters.
Please note that our child life pre-internship program currently accepts unaffiliated students.
If you are not pursuing a child life certification and are looking for a general hospital practicum experience, please do not reach out as we simply are not the right program for you.
Application Requirements
All of following will be uploaded or typed in the application process below. Be prepared to answer and complete the following:
- Completed Denver Health Application Questions
- In 50 words or less, utilizing child life language, what is child life?
- In 200 words or less, why are you interested in pursuing this pre-internship experience at Denver Health?
- Please provide a pre-internship goal with 2 objectives each for the following topics:
- Multi-disciplinary team player
- Advocacy
- Rapport building
- Developmental theory
- What professional experiences do you have working with children?
- A current resume and two letters of recommendations; one familiar with your work with children/families.
2025 Child Life Pre-Internship Experience at Denver Health
Timeline and Schedule
Students spend three days per week in the hospital, Tuesday-Thursday; two clinical and one educational/supervision day each week for 13 weeks to equal a minimum of 150-hour total.
Spring 2025
Date: February 2, 2025 – May 10, 2025
Application Deadline: October 4, 2024
Offer Date: November 8, 2024
Fall 2025
Date: September 8, 2025 – December 13, 2025
Application Deadline: May 2, 2025
Offer Date: June 13, 2025