What Can You Do with a Master’s in Child Life?

Though he hasn’t yet graduated, Caleb Shannon is already working full-time as a certified child life specialist at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, thanks to the excellent preparation he received at Erikson. For Shannon, accepting a role in a hospital setting is a dream come true. “I was drawn to child life because I have always been someone who loves science,” Shannon says. However, he also wanted to help children and families.

As an undergraduate Shannon studied psychology and originally planned to go into children’s therapy. “This is the perfect bridge. Knowing how to talk to children, knowing how to break down these hard medical procedures,” he says. “It is the best of both worlds, getting to work with children and families every day during stressful times.”

In his role he supports young children receiving outpatient care. He helps kids work through the challenges that their first hospital experience can bring, whether it is a first blood draw or a broken bone. “We try to mitigate hospital trauma,” he says. “Parents trust child life and it changes their whole view of medicine.”

Shannon credits Erikson for being able to land a clinical internship at the prestigious John Hopkins Children’s Center and ultimately his job. He received three job offers and passed the rigorous Child Life Certification Exam on his first attempt. “I came to Erikson because it is a premiere institution. Erikson set me up nicely not only to have knowledge and skills but also to talk about development,” he says. “Something that really sets us apart was our ability to reflect on our experiences, how every experience can show a different side of development.”

Jenny Kemp Berchtold, Director of Erikson’s Child Life Development program says, “Many of our students are invited to apply for full-time jobs during their internship year. That speaks to the caliber of Erikson’s program and our students.”

While still relatively new to his role, Shannon says his colleagues have already started to notice his ability to reflect. “Something I really like about Erikson is the reflective process. One of the foundations of child life is reflection. We have knowledge and can talk about it,” he says. “Erikson teaches us how to foster our own thoughts and work with every family and how to eliminate bias.”

If you’re ready to make a meaningful impact as a Child Life specialist, Erikson’s master’s program in Child Life offers the ideal pathway. Our program prepares students not only for the rigors of the Child Life Certification Exam, but also for competitive internships and fulfilling careers in children’s hospitals and healthcare settings. Learn how our students gain hands-on experience, meet clinical internship standards, and develop the reflective skills needed to thrive in this vital field. Visit our program webpage to explore admission requirements, internship opportunities, and how to take the next step toward becoming a certified Child Life specialist.