Boys Town National Research Hospital strives to create the best care environment for our patients. Our Child Life Specialists work with the medical staff and caregivers of the patients to help alleviate fears and anxieties a child may experience during hospitalization. They identify potential sources of stress, provide accurate and age-appropriate information to the patient and family members and work with the child to plan and practice coping strategies. By combining play and education, Child Life Specialists are able to explain medical procedures and diagnoses in a way that children of all ages can understand.
Meet Our Child Life Specialists
What We Do
To meet the needs of our patients and families, the Boys Town Child Life team provides:
- Therapeutic and recreational play activities to help make the hospital feel more normal
- Medical education, preparation and sensory explanations using
- Medical Play - using actual medical equipment the child may encounter during his/her stay to help normalize those tools for them
- Hospital and surgery tours
- Procedural and diagnoses teaching (IVs, NGs, EEG,
Crohn’s/Colitis, etc.)
- Planning and implementing coping strategies
- Distraction
- Deep Breathing
- Non-pharmacological pain management techniques
- Support from siblings and other family members such as special events
- Christmas parties, birthday celebrations, car seat events
Our Child Life Specialists are professionals who have completed a Bachelor’s Degree in a child development-related field and specialize in the social, emotional and developmental aspects, as well as how to cope with a visit to the hospital.
Boys Town CARES Emotional Safety Program
We know that shots, blood draws, or other procedures can be stressful for children. Our Boys Town CARES patient comfort options will help reassure and distract your child during their office visit. Boys Town CARES offers five steps to help you comfort, alleviate pain, refocus attention, provide a calm environment, and soothe your child at their doctor's office visit.
Learn more about the Boys Town CARES emotional safety program here.
A Note to Parents
It is important to remember that your child notices your verbal and nonverbal signals. Before you begin to talk to your child about his/her upcoming medical experience, talk with your child’s doctor about your child’s condition or procedure so you are familiar with as much information as possible. The more you understand, the more time you will have to support your child and focus on his/her needs and questions.
Always remember, if you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to contact a Boys Town Child Life Specialist at
(531) 355‑6040.
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Child Life Practicum Offering
Child life specialists are key players in ensuring a child's emotional safety during treatment and hospitalization. By combining play and education, we provide support to patients and families to help minimize the stress and anxiety of the health care environment. Here at Boys Town National Research Hospital (BTNRH), our child life department is committed to providing quality education and training to future child life specialists.
Pre-internship experiences are designed to give students the opportunity to gain insight into the child life profession, exposure to the hospital environment, and help students understand the unique needs of hospitalized children. Students in our facility will have an opportunity to observe child life specialists in both inpatient and outpatient settings and will get hands-on experience with children at bedside.
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Applicants must have completed 4 of the 10 Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP)-required courses with a final passing grade or as “in progress" on the unofficial academic transcript. All 4 courses must be completed by pre-internship experience start date.
Courses required include:
- Child development course
- Play course
- Child life course
- One additional ACLP course ( i.e. medical terminology, family systems, death/dying)
*Child Life Theory class must be completed prior to application deadline.
*In progress forms must be completed to show good standing in course.
Boys Town pre-internship experience will follow ACLP application deadlines. Please find deadlines at the link below:
https://www.childlife.org/certification/certification-resources/internship-deadlines
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Please
click here to complete the online pre-internship experience application
Please click here to complete the Progress Course Form.
Within the online application, you will need to attach:
- Current one page resume
- Unofficial University transcripts from all universities attended
In addition to the online application, two reference forms are required to be submitted.
- One recommendation form must be from an academic professor
- One recommendation form must be from an individual who has observed your work with children.
Please send the link of the
online reference recommendation form to the people that will be completing form. Recommendation forms should be received by the application due date.
Boys Town National Research Hospital (BTNRH) follows the Association of Child Life Professionals' (ACLP) internship application deadlines as well as the offer and acceptance dates.
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After applications have been reviewed, applicants will be notified via email on the status of their application and if a short phone screen is being requested. Once phone screens have been completed, interviews will be scheduled with the student committee. All interviews will be conducted via WebEx and will be arranged by the student coordinator.
