Internship Excellence for All Clinical Programs: Steps and Strategies - LIGHTNING PASS 2025
This session will begin with a myth-busting activity to distinguish actual internship requirements from common misconceptions, clarifying guidance from CLCC and recommendations from ACLP initiatives. Presenters will review key ACLP resources such as the KSAs, Common Application, Curriculum Modules, and Evaluation Tool, highlighting how programs use them to promote equity and reduce bias. Attendees will explore examples of how internship sites, including small and non-healthcare programs, adapt these tools to meet both CLCC standards and their unique needs. The session will close with practical suggestions for strengthening collaboration between academic and clinical professionals to address shared challenges.
Suggested Domain: Professional Responsibility; DEI
Credits:1.5
Learning Objective(s):
1. Differentiate between the required elements of clinical internships and recommended or common practices
2. Utilize ACLP and CLCC resources to improve equity, accessibility, and transparency throughout application, interview, and supervision processes.
3. Adapt the use of ACLP and CLCC resources to individual program needs
4. Describe strategies to optimize partnerships between clinical internship sites and academic programs
Please note: All webinar content and its certificate will expire on June 9, 2028, regardless of when it is purchased, accessed, or completed. At that point, the 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 certificate for their records prior to June 9, 2028.
Hilary Woodward, MS, CCLS
Director of Patient and Family Programs
Children's Hospital at Montefiore
A Certified Child Life Specialist since 2011, Hilary Woodward joined the Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) as Director of Patient and Family Programs in May 2025. Before that, she was a child life specialist in the Pediatric Emergency Department at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital at Columbia University Irving Medical Center for more than 13 years. In her clinical role, Hilary served as a child life internship coordinator and rotation supervisor.
Hilary is the founder and director of the child life program at BASE Camp, a simulation-based training program in pediatric emergency medicine for physicians, nurses, and child life specialists. In 2021 and 2023, she was elected to consecutive terms on the executive board of INSPIRE (International Network for Simulation-based Pediatric Innovation, Research, and Education), making her the first psychosocial professional to serve on the INSPIRE board.
Hilary’s professional interests include simulation, interprofessional education and collaboration, and pediatric pain management. She is the author of a textbook chapter, co-author of multiple peer-reviewed publications, and has given over 40 regional, national, and international presentations.
Jenny Chabot, CCLS, PhD
Director, Child Life Program
Ohio University
Jenny Chabot, PhD, CCLS, completed her child life clinical training with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and is the Coordinator of Child and Family Studies/Child Life at Ohio University. She teaches Fundamentals in Child Life and Pediatric Health Care, Children and Families in Health Care Settings, Qualitative Research, Foundations and Theories in Child Life, and Child Life in South Africa, a summer education abroad program in Cape Town. Dr. Chabot studies ambiguous loss in the hospitalization experience for patients and families and explores the role emotion work plays in child life work. She is a three-time recipient of the University Professor Award, a two-time recipient of the Presidential Teacher Award, a 2016 winner of her college’s Advising and Mentoring Award, and two-time recipient of her college’s Outstanding Teaching Award. She was chosen as the Fall Semester 2016 Commencement Speaker and recently received Ohio University’s Best Professor Award from the Athens News annual “Best Of” edition. Dr. Chabot received her PhD from Michigan State University and is an active member of the ACLP, currently serving on the Professional Resources Committee. During Spring Semester 2016, Dr. Chabot completed a Fulbright Teaching Scholar Award with the Child Life Studies department at McMaster University in Canada.
Priti P. Desai, PhD, MPH, CCLS
Associate Professor
East Carolina University
I am an associate professor in the Human Development and Family Science Department at East Carolina University (ECU), NC where I teach child life and child development courses. I have worked with students, interns, and professional development opportunities for the past 35 years both as a clinician and an academician. I formerly worked for about 17 years as a certified child life specialist (CCLS) at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA); Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore. I have served on several committees of ACLP over the years, including as an executive board member. My efforts toward publishing include research and review articles in peer reviewed journals as well as textbook chapters. I have a unique collection of camel souvenirs.
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