Child Life Services

Professional Support for Children Receiving Medical Care

Our team of Certified Child Life Specialists help our pediatric patients develop ways to understand and cope with the anxiety, fear and separation that often accompany a hospital experience. Their background in child development combined with specialized training helps them meet the unique needs of each child including their family, culture, and stage of development. Our Certified Child Life Specialists hold a bachelor’s and many a master’s degree in the areas of child life and child development. They are professionally certified and affiliated with the Association of Child Life Professionals. They are one of the many reasons we hold a coveted ChildKind designation.

How it Works

The field of Child Life began from the understanding that hospitalization can have a long-term negative impact on normal growth and development because of the stress it puts on children and their families. By assessing a child through play, a Child Life Specialist can gain insight into ways to help the child cope with the hospital experience. Children who receive a new diagnosis of a long-term illness are provided with as much additional attention as possible. Clinical nurse specialists (educators) provide technical information, and then the Child Life Specialist follows up with hands-on activities that reinforce the child's learning.

Facts About Child Life at Children's Hospital

Started in 1978, the Child Life program at Dolly Parton Children's Hospital was the first program of its kind in Tennessee and predates the Association of Child Life Professionals, which is the governing body of the field. Since then, the department has grown to cover all inpatient units, the Emergency Department, outpatient clinics, outpatient surgery and the Radiology Department.

Here are some more interesting facts about Child Life at Children's Hospital:

• Child Life staff at Children's Hospital are available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, even on holidays.
• The Child Life staff helps patients and families celebrate holidays, birthdays and other family events that occur during the child's hospitalization. Donations from the community allow Child Life staff members to provide children with gifts on these occasions.
• To see our most requested items, visit our wish list here
• Child Life is supported by Spirit of Children all year long - not just on Halloween.

Child Life Student Programming

Practicums

Child Life practicum experiences are a consecutive, four-week, 150-hour commitment. Students will observe a Certified Child Life Specialist in various clinical areas to gain a deeper understanding of the profession. While Dolly Parton Children's Hospital recognizes that the Association of Child Life Professionals no longer requires a practicum, we believe it remains a valuable experience that allows students increased exposure to and knowledge of the field.

We accept practicum students every year during the summer months only. The deadline to submit your application is January 10th.

Please submit your application, along with your unofficial transcripts, directly to us via email at child.life@dollychildrens.org.

Practicum Application Form

Internships

Dolly Parton Children's Hospital offers a 600-hour Child Life internship each year during the fall and spring semesters, where students are able to gain hands-on experience alongside Certified Child Life Specialists. Dolly Children's follows the ACLP internship application deadlines and uses the ACLP Internship Readiness Common Application. The internship is unpaid and we do not accept unaffiliated students. 

Please submit applications directly to child.life@dollychildrens.org.