Top 10 Summer Medical Internships For High School Students

Summer break is an exciting time for high school students in the USA. It allows you to explore interests that are only sometimes available during the school year. An excellent option for those interested in the medical field is summer medical internships for high school students. This program offers a chance to gain knowledge, experience, and skills in a healthcare setting while still having free time to enjoy summer activities. Besides, it’s a great way to dip your toes in the water before fully launching into a medical career. This article will provide the top 10 summer medical internships for high school students who want to gain experience in the medical field.

What is a Summer Medical Internship?

Summer medical internships are a fantastic opportunity for students to gain valuable experience and insight into medicine. These internships offer hands-on training, allowing students to work with experienced doctors and healthcare professionals in real life. They also enable exploring various fields of medicine, including gynecology, pathology, surgery, and emergency medicine. 

Who is a medical intern?

A medical intern is often a recent medical school graduate or high school student who begins training at a hospital or medical facility to gain practical experience in the medical sector. Medical students complete these internships for them to become doctors and other specialties. Internships are the first year of graduate medical school residencies. Students and faculty refer to the internship as a residence after the first year. Typically, residency programs last three to eight years.

What does a medical intern do?

Medical interns typically perform duties under supervision by a physician assistant, senior resident, or other doctors. Generally, here’s a list of responsibilities medical interns may perform:

• Participating in outpatient clinics
• Taking the patient’s vitals
• Carrying out numerous tests such as urinalysis
• Working in laboratories
• Participating in clinical rounds
• Contributing to clinical research
• Making appointments
• Managing billing and insurance information for patients
• Managing patient and doctor communication
• Clinical and office supplies ordering
• Managing and inventorying supplies
• Exam preparation for patients
• Interacting with the relatives of patients

See Also: Top 5 Medical Internships for Graduates

Top 10 Summer Medical Internships For High School Students

Here are the top 10 internships in the medical field for high school students.

#1. Medical Immersion Summer Academy (MISA)

MISA offers a 5-day hands-on skills training, mentorship, and clinical immersion program. In addition, you will be introduced to medical research and allowed to participate in MD workshops.

You will acquire hands-on experience with medical methods and procedures such as EKG, suturing, CPR, splinting, and vitals taking in the simulation lab. Although the program is non-residential, you will meet with medical specialists and leaders daily and have the chance to shadow them in a busy urban hospital and outlying clinics.

Application Deadline: March 25

Duration: Five days (July & August)

Location: Oakland, CA

#2. NIH High School Summer Internship Program

This internship enables students to work with some of the world’s top biomedical researchers. Internships typically run eight weeks and include activities such as lectures by NIH investigators, career and professional development courses, and college readiness programs. 

The internship is open to juniors aged 17 and above, and a stipend is provided; the pay fluctuates from year to year and is determined by the level of schooling achieved before beginning the internship.

Application Deadline: February 1

Duration: Generally eight weeks

Location: National Institute of Health (NIH) (Bethesda, MD)

See Also: Top 4 Free Online Internships Websites

#3. Penn Medicine Summer Program for High School Students

Students will spend four weeks at the University of Pennsylvania learning everything there is to know about medicine. Participate in interactive lectures and labs on transplant surgery, cancer, resuscitation science, kidney disease, and sports medicine, among other topics.

At Penn’s Clinical Simulation Center, you can practice suturing, blood sampling, and minimally invasive surgical methods. You will even be able to dissect an eye and a brain! Weeknights can be spent at scheduled activities on and off campus, and weekends can be spent traveling to cities such as New York City and Washington, DC.

Application Deadline: N/A

Duration: Generally Three weeks

Location: University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)

#4. UCSF Summer Student Research Program

This program places students in local clinics and science labs to work on biomedical research initiatives. Participants in the program receive one-on-one mentoring from healthcare providers and academics, as well as access to exclusive workshops, seminars, training, simulations, and networking events. The program is available to high school juniors, seniors, and undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds in the sciences, such as underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, people with disabilities, and first-generation college students.

Application Deadline: February 25

Duration: Nine weeks (June and August)

Location: the University of California San Francisco 

#5. Indiana University Simon Cancer Center Summer Research Program

This eight-week program pairs participants with mentors and requires them to work 40 hours per week on assignments such as laboratory-based research, computer-based database research, or clinical research. They also attend weekly workshops on gaining admission to graduate and professional programs of study and professional development events.

Students must have graduated from high school or be undergraduates who have completed two years or fewer of college and earned no more than 80 credits. Participants are compensated.

Application Deadline: N/A

Duration: Eight weeks (June through July)

Location: Indiana University Cancer Center (Indianapolis, IN)

#6. Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego: Summer Medical Academy

The Summer Medical Academy, offered by Rady’s Children’s Hospital-San Diego, allows high school students interested in pursuing healthcare vocations to learn about medical training and practice. Students who have finished 9th grade and are between the ages of fifteen (15) and Nineteen (19) are eligible to enroll in this 2-week program where they can acquire hands-on experience, learn about significant issues in medicine from experts, and network with potential future colleagues.

Prospective participants are admitted based on their interest in a health vocation, participation in extracurricular activities, and academic achievement. Students who live close to San Diego, seniors in high school, and those connected to Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego will be given special attention. This program will set you back $2,800.

Application Deadline: February 17

Duration: Two weeks (June and July)

Location: Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego (San Diego, CA)

#7. The Seacole Scholars Program

Participants in this seven-week paid summer internship at a Lifespan Hospital—Rhode Island’s largest private employer—work four days a week on nursing units and one day a week in Lifespan Workforce and Youth Development training. People between 16 and 19 with a valid CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) license are eligible for this position. The program also provides career advice; some participants are hired upon completion.

Application Deadline: January 9

Duration: Seven weeks (June through August)

Location: Rhode Island Hospital (Providence, RI)

#8. Summer Child Health Research Internship

This summer medical internship is open to rising high school seniors, undergraduates, and first-year medical students. Through the training, students will explore research opportunities related to child healthcare while working in the lab with faculty members of the Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado on the Anschutz Medical Campus. After the program, students must submit a written research summary and deliver a presentation. High school participants must be Colorado residents and are provided with a $3,500 stipend.

Application Deadline: February 1

Duration: Nine weeks (June through August)

Location: The Children’s Hospital Colorado/University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (Aurora, CO)

#9. Stanford Medical Youth Science Program (SMYSP)

During this 5-week residential program, low-income and underrepresented groups will be introduced to health-related employment options and student living at Stanford University. In addition, you will attend laboratory workshops, lectures from university professors and medical specialists, and work in the hospital.

The program’s mentoring and team-based learning style will be evident throughout, with leadership sessions focusing on networking, public speaking, and multicultural challenges. You will also receive college admissions coaching and essay and resume writing assistance.

Ten Stanford undergraduates will administer the program on campus and share residence rooms with participants. In addition, every Sunday, there will be time set out for family visits.

Application Deadline: March 1

Duration: Five weeks (June through July)

Location: Stanford University (Stanford, CA)

#10. Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience High School Internship

This six-week internship is designed for juniors and seniors in high school in Palm Beach or Martin County interested in brain structure, function, development, and sophisticated imaging techniques and technologies utilized in neuroscience. Interns in neuroscience can choose from three tracks: neuroscience, scientific programming, or mechanical engineering. Students will prepare a scientific abstract and give a brief presentation at the end of the internship.

Application Deadline: March 1

Duration: Six weeks (June through July)

Location: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (Jupiter, FL)

Conclusion

If you’re applying for medical internships, we recommend looking at the top 10 summer medical internships for high school students above. Of course, the Internships vary in location, application deadlines, and durations, but prestigious medical internships are worth the while.