The first guest blog on Captivated By Child Life is written by Carissa Howard, MS, CCLS! She is currently a professor at Azusa Pacific University in their Child Life masters program, but you may better know her from Bubbles and Bandaids, of which she is a co-founder! Carissa has experience working as a clinical CCLS and, most recently, as an academic professional shepherding aspiring Child Life students. Today she shares her experience and advice surrounding internship applications.
What costs hundreds of dollars, has no guarantee, but your future depends on it? If you guessed a child life internship, you’re right! I’ve been a child life specialist for almost 15 years and certified for 11 of those. When I got into the field of child life, it was a different world. When I did an internship 16 years ago I basically met a specialist, expressed my interest, and within a month I had started. I interned part-time, worked full-time, and then took the test at the end and landed a job. It was so simple!
After spending 11 years working in a large children's hospital I recently accepted a full-time faculty position for a Masters in Child Life program. I had heard the stories about how competitive internships were, but had no clue just how stressful and hard the process is. Over the summer I was asked to write 8 letters of recommendation and then for each of those 8 letters, I had to individually address them for up to 23 different sites. I couldn’t believe all of the effort and attention my students were putting into each application.
Applying for child life internships is not for the weak of heart! I am in awe of my students and their determination. They gave their applications their all and had so many amazing skills and experiences to offer. Of the students I wrote letters for, only 4 of the 8 got placed at internship sites for spring. The remaining students are back to the drawing board to recreate their applications, resumes, cover letters, etc. so they can begin the process of applying for summer and maybe even fall. I know I’m biased, but my students are phenomenal and I am blown away that some of them didn’t get placed. Every single one of them would been an amazing asset as an intern and any program would have been beyond lucky to have them!
As I’ve begun processing and debriefing with my students who are applying for round two, here are some things we’ve learned:
Spelling and punctuation matter- Proofread your resume, cover letter, and every other piece of your application... and then do it again. Have friends, family, and faculty read over your documents to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Applications get tossed for something as small as a forgotten period.
Be specific- Your cover letter is your chance to sell yourself and shine. What specifically excites you about that particular hospital? (Do your research!) What do you have to offer? What makes you unique and someone they can’t pass over? I know it’s a lot of work, but your cover letter should be specific to each site you are applying to.
Volunteer and gain experience working with kids in a variety of settings- Become a Child LIfe Disaster Relief volunteer. Volunteer at your local grief camp or camp for kids with chronic illnesses. Learn ABA and work as a therapist. Become a palliative/hospice care volunteer. Think outside the box about places you can learn about kids in settings outside of the hospital. The more relative experience you have, the more you have to offer to your internship site.
Be creative with technology- Create an online portfolio that showcases your best work. Update your Linked-In profile. Make sure your social media sites are appropriate (yes, sites may check your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.). That picture of you and your besties at the beach in your bikinis may not be the first impression you want to leave!
Networking matters- Attend any conferences/trainings you can and be sure to introduce yourself. It always helps to put a face to a name when you have 85+ applications on your desk. Put yourself out there and be brave!
If you don’t get chosen, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback- Once the process is over and interns have been chosen, send an e-mail to the sites who didn’t accept you and ask for feedback. You may find that you were missing a document or a period or maybe you just weren’t a good fit for that specific site. Use that feedback to come back stronger during the next round! We all know applying for internships is a complicated and stressful process. Know that you are not alone in this process. You have an amazing community of Child Life specialists, professors, co-workers, etc. who are all cheering for you and want to see you succeed! I hope these tips have been helpful and will help you create an amazing application as you prepare for internship!
-Carissa Howard, MS, CCLS
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