Child Life Program

Child life specialists use medical knowledge to prepare children for surgery, procedures and exams. It’s recommended that prospective child life interns complete a medical terminology course in college, which is also required for our internship.

Doctors and medical team members use medical terminology in patient charts, which child life specialists and interns use to better understand how to help patients and families.

Additionally, prospective interns should have some knowledge of common childhood illnesses. Though not required, a course in anatomy and physiology is beneficial.

Children spend the majority of their time playing, which is a form of learning. Child life specialists engage patients in therapeutic play to help them cope with the hospital experience and reduce stress and anxiety.

Therapeutic play helps child life specialists build relationships with patients and engage them in normal day-to-day activities. It also can enhance a child’s creativity and allow them to express their concerns about medical experiences.

Child life specialists prepare children for procedures in a variety of ways. They may use educational materials, medical play, photos and teaching dolls to provide age-appropriate explanations before a medical experience. 

A child life specialist assesses a patient’s developmental stage, their interests and the procedure. They then choose distraction items or relaxation techniques to help reduce stress and anxiety and enhance their ability to cope with the hospital experience.

Child life specialists work with children from birth through age 18. Depending on the facility, they may treat patients up to age 21.

Child life specialists work in the emergency department, operating room, neonatal intensive care unit and the pediatric intensive care unit. They may also work with siblings of patients.

Child life specialists can work in adult settings too, such as adult oncology, critical care, intensive care and palliative care. On adult units, they may also work with children and grandchildren of hospitalized patients. 

Other areas where child life specialists may be present are outpatient clinics, radiology, child advocacy centers and non-traditional settings, such as dentist offices, hospice programs, the judicial system and private practices.

Child life specialists provide therapeutic, educational and recreational activities. 

For example, they assess the individual needs of each patient and provide goal-focused bedside activities, such as games, crafts and one-on-one time. These activities help patients maintain normal everyday experiences, reach developmental milestones and develop coping skills.

At Marshfield Children’s Hospital, patients ages 4 through 18 can participate in group activities every weekday. Toddler and adolescent groups are offered weekly.

Our child life specialists also provide:

• Holiday parties and birthday celebrations for patients and their families
• Pet therapy to create therapeutic interactions between patients and trained pets

In addition, our certified music therapist offers music therapy focused on relaxation, decreasing pain symptoms, promoting self-expression and providing sensory stimulation.

View a list of academic programs on the Association of Child Life Professionals website, childlife.org.

In Wisconsin, Edgewood University offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in child life. 

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point offers a child life specialist preparation certificate as part of a family and consumer sciences-child life and family studies major. 

Due to new certification exam requirements, a child life degree is necessary for child life internships and careers.

Internship prerequisites vary by program.

Prospective child life interns must complete coursework from one of the following degree programs:

• Child life
• Child/family development
• Family dynamics
• Human development
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Counseling
• Therapeutic recreation with an emphasis in child life 

The child life program at Marshfield Children’s Hospital requires applicants to take a medical terminology course and a child and adolescent development course.

We highly recommend these additional courses: anatomy and physiology, ethics, cultural uniqueness, parenting and family relationships, group dynamics, stress and coping, research methods, crisis intervention, and death and dying.

Our program also requires students to review resources related to child hospitalization before the internship start date.

With expansion of hospitals and children’s hospitals, demand continues to increase for child life specialists. Because child life is a competitive field, it’s important to take child life coursework and gain relevant experience, such as by volunteering with childhood programs in a variety of settings.