Renee O'Neal is the president of the Florida Association of Child Life
Professionals. According to O'Neal, child life specialists are most likely
to find work at hospitals in larger cities.
However, opportunities are increasing outside of the hospital. "Child life
is a relatively new profession when you compare it to nursing and physicians
and we are continuing to branch out outside of the hospital, working in dental
offices and outpatient clinics," says O'Neal.
O'Neal says most therapists start somewhere around $25,000 per year. "Our
entry-level therapists start at about $28,000 here," she says.
This isn't a career that will make you rich. Salaries peak at about $40,000
a year, says O'Neal. In order to attain the highest salary possible, you'll
want to look for work in larger hospitals, where "a lot of people wind up
being coordinators or directors and there is room for advancement."
Earnings and employment information from the U.S. Department of Labor is
not available for this field at this time.