Exploring the Experiences of First-Time Clinical Rotation Supervisors: An Evidence-Based Application
This session provides coordinators with a summary of the support and training needs of internship supervisors. It will summarize a study on CCLSs’ experiences precepting for the first time and use findings to help leadership identify how to support and train individuals for this role.
Suggested Domain: Professional Responsibility
Credits: 1.0 PDU
Learning Objective(s):
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to
-Summarize a recent, qualitative study examining the experiences of first-time internship supervisors which identified common supports and barriers present for this role and the need for additional training.
-Recite competencies needed to be an effective first-time internship supervisor and available tools for developing these competencies.
-Identify unexpected realities of child life specialists in their role of supervising an intern and how these realities may impact their work.
-Critically evaluate current strategies of support offered to first-time internship supervisors.
-Apply findings from research to plan new strategies for developing and supporting first-time internship supervisors.
Please note: All series content and its related certificates will expire on 11/1/2028 regardless of when it is purchased, accessed, or completed. At that point, contents will no longer be available in any form, including as an archive or as a PDU certificate. It is the responsibility of the learner to complete the contents and download and save the certificates for their records before 11/1/2028.
Lauren Holley, M.S., CCLS
Child Life Specialist
The University of Georgia
Lauren has been a CCLS since 2016 and spent about 5 years in a children’s hospital setting before transitioning to academics in 2021. Since then, she has taught several classes in Early Childhood Care and Education as well as Human Developmental and Family Sciences at several universities. Currently, she is a Child and Family Data Collection Specialist at the Georgia Center for Developmental Science at UGA where she implements a child-life developed protocol to assist children aged 6.5-9 in the data collection process, including an unsedated MRI. She is also pursuing a PhD in HDFS at UGA.
Nicole Boik, MS, CCLS
Nicole has been a Child Life Specialist for 8 years and has worked in northern Virginia and Miami, Florida. She’s been in El Paso, Texas for 4 years. Her career has been spent working with pediatric oncology patients, including an inpatient floor, an outpatient clinic, and a radiation oncology setting. She enjoys working with this population because she enjoys the complexities of their diagnoses and treatment journeys, as well as getting to build long-term therapeutic relationships. As the team in El Paso grows, she is gradually stepping into more of a leadership role, which has brought new challenges and plenty of learning opportunities. She is looking forward to continuing to grow in this role while also helping and encouraging those around her in their own growth. She also enjoys networking and being involved in other child life organizations such as the FACLP, the ACLP, and Child Life United.
Sherwood Burns-Nader, PhD, CCLS
Associate Professor
University of Alabama
Dr. Sherwood Burns-Nader, PhD, CCLS, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Alabama where she coordinates the undergraduate and graduate child life programs. Sherwood’s research interests include examining the psychosocial issues affecting children and families in the healthcare setting, the benefits of child life interventions, the experiences of child life specialists and emerging professionals, and the value of play in development and coping. Sherwood has served as an Association of Child Life Professional’s Research Fellow since 2020, including as the Lead Fellow from 2023-2025.
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