Child Life Internship

Hospital Overviews

For more than 75 years, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has been Making Cancer History®. Within its walls resides MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital where faculty and staff specially trained and experienced in pediatric cancers are caring for children, adolescents and young adults with cancer. Each year about 2,000 patients from around the world utilizes our services. Because our primary focus is cancer, we see more types of cancer than any other children’s hospital in Houston or Texas. And because the Children’s Cancer Hospital is a continuously top-ranked hospital for cancer care in the U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” survey, we have the advantage of easier and faster translation of new cancer treatments from adults to children MD Anderson. Pediatric and Adolescent Inpatient Unit is a 35-bed facility for children and adolescents, including a 12-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). It is a self-contained unit, which includes two nursing pods and a protected environment for patients receiving bone marrow, stem cell or umbilical cord blood transplants. The Child and Adolescent Clinic and Pediatric Ambulatory Treatment Center provides an outpatient clinic/treatment space for pediatric patients. Child life provides services to patients on the inpatient unit, PICU, pediatric ambulatory treatment center, radiology, peri-operative unit, interventional radiology, radiation, proton therapy center, and pediatric acute care center.

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) has been serving Texans since 1891.  In 1915, UTMB was commissioned by the state to build the first children’s hospital in Texas and the child life program started in the 1970’s. It is now a major academic health sciences center of global influence; a world-renowned research enterprise; and a growing, comprehensive health system with hospitals on four campuses and a network of clinics.  In 2019 the UTMB Clear Lake Hospital was established and pediatric services opened in 2020.  This includes a pediatric med-surg unit with Intermediate Medical Unit beds and a dedicated pediatric emergency department. Child life serves the inpatient unit, radiology, peri-operative unit, interventional radiology, pediatric emergency department and NICU (consulted basis).

Program Description

The University of Texas Child Life Internship is a 640-hour, 16-week program that gives students the opportunity to work with two separate programs at MD Anderson and The University of Texas Medical Branch Clear Lake Hospital.  The program is structured so that each student will work 8 weeks at each hospital to receive a well-rounded and diverse experience.  It is the philosophy of both Child Life programs to seek the most highly motivated and qualified intern candidates.

The program will assist candidates in their preparation for entry into an extremely competitive job market.  Entrance requirements and internship content are based on the Association of Child Life Professional’s Standards of Academic and Clinical Preparation Programs in Child Life, Child Life Competencies and on current Child Life Certification Committee recommendations. Interns who successfully complete this internship program will have been provided the necessary experiences that establish and/or enhance their competence in providing child life interventions in inpatient, outpatient, and special care units.

The internship program does not offer a stipend and does not guarantee future employment at either hospital.  Housing, transportation, parking expenses, meals, and medical insurance are the responsibility of the intern.

• More information about scholarship opportunities through the Association of Child Life Professionals.          
• Information about scholarship opportunities through the Southern Association of Child Life Professionals.

Entrance Requirements

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

• Currently obtaining a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
• We only accept students currently enrolled at Texas State University, Texas Tech University and Texas Women’s University. Students must provide proof of enrollment and liability insurance from their institution.
• Successfully completed child life coursework inclusive of the 6 applied areas of study, as required by the ACLP
• Documentation of at least 2 relevant experiences including knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). 
•  Ability to commit to child life internship of 640-hour, 16 weeks, full-time (40 hours/week)
• Has transportation to work at two different locations, about 45 mins apart. Work hours vary depending upon the needs of the patients in each unit.  This schedule may vary due to child life staffing and other considerations. Alternative scheduling options can be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
  • MD Anderson: 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, Tx 77030
  • UTMB Clear Lake: 200 Blossom St, Webster, Tx 77598

• Ability to pass a mandatory health screening and background check according to both MD Anderson and UTMB Clear Lake.

Application Process

Individuals meeting the minimum entrance requirements may apply to the Child Life Internship Coordinators. To apply for the University of Texas child life internship program, please gather or complete the following components before beginning the internship application:

1. In-progress or completed Eligibility Assessment
2. Unofficial transcripts

Note: Eligibility Assessment and transcripts will be uploaded while completing the Internship Application online form, please gather these PDF before starting the application, you will not be able to save your progress and upload these components later. UTMB and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are not approved to utilize parts of the ACLP common application.  The approved application is very similar and does not request more than what the ACLP has approved.  The application is provided in the link above.   

Application Guides

These guides provide a detailed overview of the application tasks, as well as important instructions for downloading your application: 

CLP is not responsible for the submission of any application materials. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure their application is complete, properly downloaded, and submitted to internship programs.

Application Deadlines

We offer child life internships two times per year: Fall and Winter/Spring.  We follow the internship offer and acceptance deadlines recommended by the Association of Child Life Professionals. Applicants are responsible for meeting the following application deadlines. Late applications will not be considered.