Child Life Program Directory Listing

ACLP recognizes that practicums have become a barrier within the pathway to the child life profession. Pre-internship experiences, such as practicums, are not required by the Child Life Certification Commission and ACLP does not endorse practicums or other pre-internship programs.

Monroe Carell, Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
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Areas Where Child Life Services Are Offered

  • Monroe Carell, Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt established the Child Life Program in 1969. It began as a one-person, purely recreational program, and has grown to a large and diverse child life staff. Our Director of Child Life and Volunteer Services and Director of Patient and Family-Centered Care are Certified Child Life Specialists who coordinate and supervise child life specialists and assistants. They also oversee Volunteer Services, Spiritual Care Services, the Family Resource Center, Hospital School Program, Creative Arts team, Facility Dog program and the Friends Gift Shop. Our team works cooperatively with the multidisciplinary healthcare team to meet the needs of pediatric patients and their families utilizing high standards of patient-and-family-centered care. Our program has 29 child life specialists covering all of our inpatient units, intensive care units, three outpatient clinics, Radiology, Perioperative Services, Emergency Department, and consults placed in our Adult Critical Care tower for children with a relative in this area. Our team utilizes developmentally appropriate play, education, and support to normalize the child’s environment, promote optimal growth and development, aid in patient understanding and coping, provide emotional support, and advocate for the individualized needs of a patient and their family.

  • 1970

  • Free Standing Children's Academic Hospital

  • A patient referral or consultation is not required for child life programs and services

    • Ambulatory Clinics (Primary Care & Specialty)
    • Ambulatory Surgery
    • Emergency Center
    • Inpatient Acute Care
    • Inpatient Critical Care (includes PICU, NICU, and CICU)
    • Inpatient Hematology/Oncology
    • Radiology
    • Trauma Service
  • Outside areas are serviced

  • Nursing

Complementary Programming

  • Managed by the volunteer program

  • Program is not offered

  • Offered by the hospital/other department

  • Program is not offered

  • Offered by the hospital/other department

  • Managed by the child life department

  • Program is not offered

  • Offered by the hospital/other department

  • Program is not offered

  • Program is not offered

  • Managed by the child life department

  • Program is not offered

  • Offered by the hospital/other department

  • Program is not offered

  • Program is not offered

  • Managed by the child life department

Child Life Staffing

  • 35

  • 29

  • 5

  • 2

  • 7

  • 34

Internship Availability Information

  • Yes

  • Katie Beard Smith

  • katie.e.beard@vumc.org

  • 615 421 8915

  • https://www.childrenshospitalvanderbilt.org/information/child-life-internship

  • 600

    • Affiliation with a College or University
    • Completed BA/BS
    • Completed Practicum
    • Relevant Volunteer Experience
  • Yes

  • No

  • No

  • Yes

  • 2

  • 2

  • 0

  • 0

  • Yes

  • No

  • No

Practicum Availability Information

  • Yes

  • Katie Beard Smith

  • katie.e.beard@vumc.org

  • 615-421-8915

  • https://www.childrenshospitalvanderbilt.org/information/child-life-practicum

  • 120

    • Affiliation with a College or University
    • Relevant Volunteer Experience
  • No

  • No

  • Yes

  • 2

  • 2

  • 2

  • 0

  • No

  • No

Fellowship Availability Information

  • No

Volunteer Opportunities

  • Yes

  • 615 936 4575

  • 450

  • Yes

  • 615 936 4575

  • 450

Main Hospital Beds

  • 320

  • 23

  • 120

  • 20

  • 19

  • 0

  • 0

Satellite Hospital Beds

  • 12

  • 0

  • 0

  • 0

  • 0

  • 0

  • 0