Music Therapy Internship
The music therapy program at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is a National Roster Internship Site through the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). Once a year, we offer a 1040-hour clinical internship with a start date in January, to be determined together by student and internship staff. The internship is designed to provide students with a comprehensive learning experience to acquire skills necessary to successfully enter the music therapy field. Our team of board-certified music therapists will supervise the student while they participate in clinical experiences with children and families.
Our interns will gain experience with a wide variety of patients in inpatient units including infant/toddler general medicine, school-age/adolescent general medicine, hematology/oncology, pediatric intensive care, neonatal intensive care, and transitional care. Music Therapy also serves patients in the outpatient hematology/oncology and dialysis units, and patients with behavioral health needs in the emergency department.
Internship Information
During the 1040-hour clinical internship, interns will work on-site Monday through Thursday, with supervision split between all music therapists on the team. This will provide opportunities for the intern to work in a wide variety of units throughout the hospital. Most sessions involve one on one interactions with patients and families at bedside. Interns will also work to lead a weekly group for patients admitted for medical stabilization of eating disorders.
Throughout the observation and co-leading period, interns will begin to acquire a caseload of patients to continue following throughout the remainder of the internship. Supervising music therapists will ensure a variety of ages, diagnoses, developmental levels and units to maximize the intern’s learning potential.
Interns will be required to complete various assignments, projects, and presentations to meet the internship's learning goals.
The music therapy program at Cardinal Glennon relies on an integrated approach to meet the needs of our patients and families. In promoting patient and family-centered care, we rely heavily on the guidance and feedback of the patients and families themselves. There are many parts of the hospital experience that these individuals cannot control, so it is important to give opportunities for autonomy and self-expression whenever possible. Because Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital serves a diverse patient population encompassing expansive socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, and spiritual differences, we expect interns to maintain a culture-centered approach that strives to recognize and honor the person as a whole when providing music therapy.
We recognize that each intern is a unique person with varying learning styles. We intend to work with our interns to gain a better understanding of how they learn best and incorporate their preferred learning styles into our approach as much as possible. With this in mind, interns will be expected to bring forth their own needs and concerns and be an active partner in their learning.
The intern will be part of the Creative Arts Therapies team. The Creative Arts Therapies team is part of the larger Child Life Department, which includes our Certified Child Life Specialists and Shining Start School Teachers. In addition to opportunities to collaborate with the aforementioned disciplines, interns may work with members of our palliative care team, our adolescent medicine team, our hematology/oncology psychosocial team, as well as the occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech therapists working on inpatient units.
In addition to opportunities for co-treatment with various disciplines, the intern will have the opportunity to attend and participate in monthly staff meetings and various interdisciplinary team meetings. Other opportunities may arise for interdisciplinary professional development, such as ethics "lunch and learns", grand rounds, Care for the Caregivers events, and departmental in-service presentations.
The hospital also trains medical students, nursing students, and social work interns.
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is well supported by our donors and foundation and the department has a wide variety of instruments available to meet the needs of patients ranging from infants to teenagers with a variety of abilities. Interns will be provided with a cart to transport instruments needed for daily music therapy sessions, and will have access to an assortment of guitars, keyboards, ukuleles, handheld percussion instruments, etc. The department also has a wealth of technology resources, including special stethoscopes to record patient’s heartbeats and Apple devices equipped with Garageband for recording and editing. The intern will also be provided with an iPad to utilize with patients throughout the internship for lead sheets, Spotify, YouTube, Garageband, etc. As a member of our music therapy team, interns are welcome and encouraged to use any resources the department has. If a potential need is identified for an additional resource, the intern may discuss it with the internship supervisor.
If interns are interested, opportunities for shadow days with other SSM Health music therapists could be set up for exposure to adult medical music therapy work. As the music therapy team learns of conferences or workshops in the area, this information will be shared with the intern. If a financial component is needed to attend, it will be the responsibility of the intern to cover this cost. However, when attending these events, this time would be considered as internship time.
- Interns may choose to wear scrubs or professional dress during their internships. Interns should be aware that they may be required to sit on the floor and engage in a lot of up/down movements within sessions daily. We will also provide information on required color and purchasing options
- Interns will be responsible for securing their own housing. Parking at the hospital is free and accessible with the intern’s hospital badge.
- There are no meals, transportation, or stipend for this internship.
Music Therapy Internship Application
The music therapy internship application involves a series of short answer questions, submission of a resume and college transcript, letters of recommendation, and a video audition showcasing the student's proficiency with voice, guitar, and piano. If selected, students will then participate in a virtual interview with the music therapy team. Applications are due on June 1st for candidates interested in beginning their internship the following January. Prior experience with children, whether in an employment or volunteer capacity, is recommended but not required.
Please send the completed application to CGCHmusictherapy@ssmhealth.com.
- Please note - incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
- We can only accept interns affiliated with a college or university. Upon acceptance to the internship, a legal affiliation agreement between the student’s university and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is required.
- Interns must comply with all hospital COVID policies, including vaccination and PPE requirements.
Once an internship offer has been made, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital will contact the prospective intern’s school to establish a legal affiliation agreement. Typically, this includes liability insurance. If not, then the student is responsible for obtaining liability insurance for themselves. This program also requires complete immunization records, TB test, flu shot, and CPR certification. Associated costs are the responsibility of the student. Prospective interns will be required to read, agree to, and sign SSM Health’s confidentiality agreement and standards of ethical conduct document.
Contact Information
Kimberly Iverson, MM, MT-BC, NICU MT
CGCHmusictherapy@ssmhealth.com