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Program length: 16 weeks
Session offered: Only offered one time a year during winter/spring session
Class size: 2 students
Location: Rochester, Minnesota
The Child Life Specialist Internship is designed to provide a hands-on experience coupled with educational opportunities. Each intern will participate in a 16-week (640-hour) experience, under the supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist, to develop clinical skills in therapeutic play techniques, preparation, procedural support, assessment, and education.
Students receive a degree from their college or university commensurate with their didactic and clinical training.
Students are responsible for scheduling their certification exams through the Association of Child Life Professionals. It is recommended that you schedule and sit for your exam after completion of necessary eligibility requirements. Many institutions require entry-level child life specialists to pass the certification exam within their first year of employment, if not before.
I love my work. I would not do anything else.
Randall McKeeman, CCLS
Child Life Specialist
The program begins in January and runs through April. For the Winter/Spring 2025 Internship, your application and all supporting documentation must be postmarked by Sept. 6, 2024.
As an accredited institution, the Child Life Internship at Mayo Clinic follows the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) guidelines for the application process.
To be eligible for the internship, you must be a senior in college or have completed a bachelor's or master's degree with a major in:
Confirmation of classes taken is approved by the Association of Child Life Professionals through the online Eligibility Assessment. This assessment can be completed on the ACLP website: www.childlife.org/certification/become-certified.
Applicants must have successfully completed child life coursework inclusive of all curriculum topics, as required by the ACLP. Applicants will have completed the academic coursework portion of the eligibility assessment or are actively enrolled in an ACLP-endorsed academic program.
Admission to Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences is open to U.S. workers in the four categories below. Therefore, visa sponsorship is not available.
Applicants whose primary language is not English must submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based test (TOEFL iBT). Scores from the speaking portion of the exam are given particular consideration in admission decisions. Learn more about the exam and register online at the Educational Testing Service.
The Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences code for the TOEFL iBT is 5784.
Educational transcripts from schools outside the U.S. must be translated (if they are not already in English) and evaluated for U.S. equivalence by an accredited credential evaluation service company prior to submission. Please refer to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services for a list of qualified companies. The applicant pays for the examination and credential-evaluation services.
Complete the Internship Readiness Common Application through the ACLP . The application requires that the applicant include a copy of the completed Eligibility Assessment and college transcripts.
Completed applications should be emailed to rstchildlifestu@mayo.edu.
There is no tuition for the internship.
You are responsible for providing your living accommodations and transportation.
One week of orientation will be followed by two six-week rotations: one in an inpatient setting and the other in an outpatient setting. The remaining three weeks provide opportunities for observation and experience in clinical areas of interest.
The child life student is responsible for:
In addition, interns participate in educational seminars throughout the 16-week experience. Topics relate directly to practice and service delivery and may include child development theory and the impact of hospitalization, assessment, documentation, and medical play, just to name a few.
The interns’ schedule will match the schedule of their clinical rotation supervisor. Hours will vary depending on the clinical rotation assigned. Evenings and weekends are included in the schedule. Students will be scheduled 40 hours a week of clinical experience with the expectation of completing assignments and projects on their own time.
The Child Life Specialist Internship is an ACLP-accredited internship program.
See accreditation information for Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.
Learn more about the role of a child life specialist.
Campus and community
Discover why people choose Mayo Clinic to complete their education
Academics ▸ Health Sciences Education ▸ Child Life Specialist Internship (Minnesota)Jennifer Rodemeyer, M.A., CCLS
Child Life Manager and Instructor in Pediatrics
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Amy Olson, M.A., CCLS
Child Life Internship Coordinator
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55905
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