Since learning about the field of child life, I have not stopped growing in my knowledge of the field and its opportunities. Because I attend a small private school that does not offer a child life degree, I have needed to pave my own path toward child life certification. I decided to add a Child/Family Studies major onto my Early Childhood Education major so that I would have a more well-rounded understanding of the family systems and theories behind child life. This has also included taking many elective courses in addition to my majors, including a Child Life Theory course, to broaden my knowledge base of the psychosocial needs of children and their families.

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Through volunteering in a child life department on both an inpatient and outpatient unit, I have learned how to provide support for patients in different settings. Last summer, I completed a 162-hour child life practicum in which I observed and began to introduce services to patients and families in both the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Emergency Center (EC). This practicum provided me the opportunity to learn to work on a child life team, assess situations, prepare and support patients during procedures, and educate patients about diagnoses. Since my practicum, I have continued to volunteer in child life, as well as with Make-A-Wish, where I work with the child and their family to plan the experience of their dreams. Finally, since becoming a student member of the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP), I have become active in networking with other child life specialists and students on the forum, as we discuss and assist each other in what we can contribute to this field. These experiences have all served to make me a more well-rounded child life student.