Medical School Internships for High School Students

Updated: Jul 17, 2022

Thinking medical school might be in your future? Consider a medical internship, summer program, or community service project now before you wastes time and money trying to get into a college pr-med major. This guide will explain what experiences are open to you as a high school student, what those experiences involve, and how you will benefit from them.

What Medical Experiences Are Available to High School Students? There are lots of ways to get a taste of what it's like to work in medicine. There are many summer medical programs and summer medical internships for high school students across the country. These opportunities range from research experiences to in-hospital experiences. Some of these programs and internships charge you a fee, some are paid for, and some even pay you to attend. Summer Medical Programs for High School Students: Offer high school students the chance to get hands-on experience in medicine (non-research related) such as learning simple medical procedures, watching surgeries, shadowing doctors, working in hospitals, interacting with patients, and more.

High School Senior Summer Internship Program

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, OH
No cost
Interns are paid $9.30 an hour8 weeks

Medical Immersion Summer Academy

Mentoring in Medicine and Science
Oakland, CA
$1400 cost
5 days

Medicine & Health Care Program

National Student Leadership Council
Various universities throughout the US
$3,495- $3,795
9 days

Stanford Medical Youth Science Program

Stanford University
Stanford, CA
No cost
5 weeks

Summer Medical Academy

Rady Children's Hospital and UC San Diego
San Diego, CA
$2,600
12 days

UPenn Summer Academies

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
$5,049
3 weeks

AIM-High (Osteopathic Medicine)

NSU Florida
Fort Lauderdale, FL
$1800
5 days

Medical Research Programs for High School Students: You'll be working in a lab and helping with medical research (i.e. looking at slides under a microscope, recording changes) or assisting with on-going clinical research (i.e. interviewing participants in an on-going trial of new medication, logging participant information in the computer). You are usually paired with a mentor. NOTE: Many of these programs are free or pay stipends, but not every program provides free housing. Make sure you check each program's housing accommodations before you apply!)

Summer Scholars Biology Research Immersion Program

Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Novato, CA
No cost; stipend given
10-12 weeks

Disease Detective Camp

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC
Atlanta, Georgia
No cost
5 days

Summer Child Health Research Internship

Children's Hospital Colorado
Aurora, CO
No cost. Interns are paid
$3,500
8 weeks

Summer Research Program

Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute
Oakland, CA
No cost
9 weeks

Biomedical Research Internship for Minority Students

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, OH
No costs. Interns are paid $9.30 an hour
9 weeks

City of Hope Cancer Center

Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy
Duarte, CA
No cost. Students receive a stipend of $4,000
10 weeks

Summer Experience for Students

Coriell Institute for Medical Research
Camden, NJ
No cost. Students receive a stipend of $1,000
4 weeks

Initiative to Eliminate Cancer Disparities, CURE (Summer Only)

Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
Boston, MA
No cost
8-12 weeks

Summer Research Program

Indiana University Cancer Center
Indianapolis, IN
No cost
6 weeks

Summer Research Internship

Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience
Jupiter, FL
No cost. Students are paid $11.50/hour
6 weeks

Summer Internships for High School and College Students

McLaughlin Research Institute
Great Falls, MT
No cost
8 weeks

High School Summer Program

MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX
No cost. Interns are paid $6,000
10 weeks

Diversity Summer Enrichment Programs

Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI
No cost
7 weeks

Werner H. Kirsten Student Intern Program

National Cancer Institute
Frederick, MD
No cost. Students receive a $3,400 stipend
8 weeks

NEI Summer Intern Program

National Eye Institute
Bethesda, MD & Rockville, MD
No cost. Students receive a monthly stipend (amount varies)
8-12 weeks

Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research

NIH Bethesda, MD
No cost. Students receive a monthly stipend (amount varies)
min of 8 weeks

Summer Student Program

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases
Bethesda, MD
No cost. Students receive a monthly stipend of $2,080minimum
8 weeks

National Institute on Drug Abuse: Summer Research with NIDA

NIDA Various universities throughout the US
No cost. Interns are paid $15 an hour
8 weeks

NIDDK Education Program for Underrepresented Persons STEP-UP - High School Program

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Bethesda, MD
No cost. Students receive a stipend (amount varies)
8-10 weeks

Summer Internship Program

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
ResearchTriangle Park, NC
No cost. Students are paid per hour (salary varies)
8 weeks

Summer Program in the Neurological Sciences

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Bethesda, MD
No cost. Students receive a stipend (amount varies)minimum
8 weeks

Summer Cancer Research Experience Program for High School Students

Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Buffalo, NY
No cost. Limited, need-based stipends available
7 weeks

Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program

Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, CA
No cost. Students receive stipends from $500 to $1500
8 weeks

Summer Student Program

The Jackson Laboratory
Bar Harbor, ME and Farmington, CT
No cost. Students receive a stipend of $6,000
10 weeks

Helios Scholars Program

Translational Genomics Research Institute
Phoenix, AZ
No cost. Students are paid $12.15 an hour
8 weeks

High School Student Research Apprentice Program

University of Connecticut Health Center
Farmington, CT
$1,290 minimum, with discounts for students who enroll in multiple sessions
3 - 6 weeks

Summer Research Scholars Program

University of Minnesota Medical School, Lillehei Heart Institute
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
No cost. Students receive a stipend (amount varies)
9 weeks

Travis B. Lewis High School Scholarship Award Program

University of Nebraska Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience
Omaha, NE
No cost. Students receive a stipend of $1,500
up to 10 weeks

Biomedical Research Training for High School Students

University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, TX
No cost
7 weeks

Summer Fellowship Program in Biomedical Research

Wistar Institute
Philadelphia, PA
No cost. Students receive a stipend (amount varies)
8 week

Science Research Programs for High School Students: As a part of your pre-med track, you'll be required to take Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, and more. Doing one of these science programs will give you a preview of the coursework ahead of you.

Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program