15 Medical Internships for High School Students
If you’re in high school and planning to study medicine, internships are a good way to see how the field works. You can shadow doctors, assist with clinical work, or get involved in lab research. Some programs also focus on public health, mental health, or healthcare policy, helping you understand the bigger picture.
Internships can help you build skills, understand how hospitals and labs function, and learn from professionals. You’ll also meet students who share your interests. Whether you’re set on medicine or still figuring it out, participating in a medical internship can strengthen your college applications and help you decide if medicine is the right fit for you.
To help you get started, here are 15 medical internships for high school students!
1. Max Planck Florida Internship for Neuroscience (MPFI) Summer Research Internship
Location: Jupiter, Florida
Cost: $3,905
Dates: June 16-July 25
Application Deadline: March 4
Eligibility: Open to high school students entering junior or senior year
This is a six-week summer internship where you explore how the brain works by doing real neuroscience research. You work with a scientist at the Max Planck Florida Institute and get hands-on lab experience using techniques like genetic engineering, histological staining, microscopy, and microbiology. You also use advanced imaging tools to study neurons and brain tissue. You’ll learn how to frame research questions, analyze your results, and present your findings. The program ends with you writing a scientific abstract and giving a formal presentation of your research to mentors and peers.
2. Veritas AI’s AI+ Medicine Deep Dive
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,290
Dates: March 16-May 18
Application Deadline: May 25
Eligibility: High school students
Veritas AI offers summer programs for high school students who are passionate about learning artificial intelligence and medicine. The program teaches you the basics of AI and machine learning, then moves into real-world healthcare projects where you apply what you’ve learned.
In the AI + Medicine Deep Dive, you will study how AI is used in disease diagnosis, medical imaging, and treatment planning. You’ll work with tools like programming notebooks and apply ML models to real medical challenges. The program also covers how AI supports genomics, hospital workflows, drug discovery, and neuroscience. Sessions are led by experts from institutions like Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and Princeton. Further Information about the program is available here.
3. Stanford Medical Youth Science Program
Location: Stanford Campus, Northern California
Cost: None
Dates: June 23-July 25
Application Deadline: March 17
Eligibility: Open to low-income, first-generation high school juniors from Northern California
The Stanford Medical Youth Science Program is a three-week summer program for high school students who want to explore medicine and healthcare. You will take part in lab work, clinical shadowing, patient interactions, and department activities at Stanford hospitals. The program includes formal and informal discussions with doctors and healthcare professionals, giving you insight into real-world medical careers. You’ll also attend two weekly lectures on public health and research methods to help you complete a research project by the end of the program. Further information about the program is available here.
4. Ladder Internships
Location: Virtual (Online)
Cost: $2,490. Financial aid is available.
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks are eligible to apply. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships places you with a fast-growing startup for an 8-week virtual internship in areas like AI, health tech, journalism, marketing, and more. You’ll work on projects with guidance from a startup mentor and a Ladder coach. Along the way, you’ll get one-on-one training in communication, time management, and other essential skills. You’ll also present your final project directly to your company. Many of these startups are backed by Y Combinator or led by founders with experience at Microsoft, Google, or Facebook.
5. Summer Internship Program - National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Location: Bethesda, Maryland, and Framingham, Massachusetts
Cost: None. A stipend of $5,400 is paid in two installments
Dates: May-August
Application Deadline: February 19 (tentative)
Eligibility: Open to high school students
The Summer Internship Program at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) gives high school students the chance to explore biomedical research. As a participant, you will work in NIH labs under the guidance of expert researchers, contributing to real projects focused on heart, lung, and blood-related health issues. Beyond lab work, the program includes seminars, workshops, and networking events that help you build scientific knowledge and career skills.
6. Indiana University Simon Cancer Future Scientist Program
Location: IU School of Medicine’s downtown Indianapolis campus
Cost: None
Dates: June-August
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Open to High school juniors from Marion County public schools
The Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center offers various internship programs to high school students to introduce students to cancer research and healthcare. You will work in research areas like basic science, translational, and clinical studies. You will be paired with experienced researchers and physicians to work on active cancer research projects.
7. UT Southwestern Medical Center - High School Student Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Dates: 2 weeks in June
Application Deadline: Early February
Eligibility: Rising 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade high school students
UT Southwestern Medical Center offers a two-week online internship for high school students interested in mental health. You’ll learn directly from clinicians like psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, clinical social workers, and physician assistants as they walk you through real-world careers in the field. You’ll attend interactive sessions, complete guided readings from research journals and media articles, and take part in discussions and demonstrations. Topics include psychotherapy, neuropsych testing, neuroscience, interventional psychiatry, and how mental health care works in the community.
8. Parkview Health - Summer Internship Program
Location: Both in-person at Parkview Health facilities and virtual
Cost: None. Pays a stipend
Dates: The internships are available year-round
Application Deadline: Applications available from October - March
Eligibility: Open to High school students
Parkview Health provides internship programs for high school students to explore healthcare careers. You will participate in the FutureREADY internship, job shadowing, observations, and clinical rotations to gain real-world experience in clinical and non-clinical roles. You will observe healthcare professionals, rotate through departments, and explore fields like nursing, therapy, lab sciences, administration, and more. You will engage in journaling or debrief discussions in some programs.
9. Simons Summer Research Program
Location: Stony Brook University, Long Island, New York
Cost: None
Program dates: June 30-August 8
Application Deadline: February 7
Eligibility: Open to high school students
The Simons Summer Research Program at Stony Brook University offers a six-week internship for high school juniors eager to explore science, mathematics, or engineering. You will work with faculty mentors to conduct independent research in university labs. You will learn lab techniques, attend research talks, participate in workshops and field trips, and gain experience in scientific research processes. You will build academic and professional skills, explore STEM career paths, and connect with students from across the country.
10. Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS)
Location: In person: Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology on the East Baltimore campus and Online (Virtual)
Cost: None
Program dates: In-Person Program: 8 weeks, typically from June to August and Virtual Program: 5 weeks, usually from July to August
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Open to current High school juniors and seniors
The Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences provides a research internship for high school students interested in neuroscience, brain research, and clinical neurology. You will work one-on-one with neuroscience researchers, contribute to research projects, observe clinical settings through rotations, and attend professional neuroscience seminars to gain a comprehensive experience. You will also participate in a five-week virtual component, engaging in remote learning and research. You will join live lectures, skill-building workshops, and mentorship sessions to learn lab techniques, the scientific method, and how to understand research papers.
11. Monell Science Apprenticeship Program
Location: Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: None
Program dates: June 23-August 15
Application Deadline: Tentative deadline is around mid- december
Eligibility: Open to current High school students with strong interest in science and research
The Monell Science Apprenticeship Program (MSAP), hosted by the Monell Chemical Senses Center, offers a summer internship for high school students eager to explore biomedical science or medicine. You will focus on hands-on research in the chemical senses, including taste and smell. You will work on projects like copying smell receptors, studying how flavor preferences shift with age, finding safe methods to repel pests from crops, and examining how air quality impacts perceptions of health. You will also participate in extra activities, including science talks, workshops to build public speaking and writing skills, and discussions on ethics in research involving people and animals.
12. Stanford University - Clinical Summer Internship
Location: On Campus or Virtual
Cost: On-Campus Program fee - $6,380; Virtual Program fee - $4,380
Dates: July 28 - August 8
Application Deadline: February 24
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are aged 16 years or older
The Stanford Clinical Summer Internship is a two-week virtual program where you explore clinical medicine through lectures, case discussions, and virtual workshops. You work in small groups to learn how doctors diagnose and treat patients, practice clinical techniques, and interact with simulated cases. You also attend sessions led by Stanford faculty, giving you insight into different medical specialties and healthcare careers. By the end of the program, you’ll have hands-on exposure to clinical reasoning, patient care, and teamwork in medicine. You receive a certificate after successful completion.
13. Research Science Institute’s Summer Program
Location: MIT Campus
Cost: None. However, there is a $65 application fee for all applicants
Program dates: June 22-August 2
Application Deadline: December 11
Eligibility: Open to current High school students
The Center for Excellence in Education’s Research Science Institute offers a five-week summer internship for high school students eager to explore science and engineering. You will start with a week of intensive STEM classes led by experienced professors to build a strong foundation in key scientific concepts. Then, you will engage in a five-week research internship, working on your own project with guidance from expert scientists and researchers. You will participate in the full research process, reading scientific papers, designing and running experiments, and analyzing your findings.
14. Medical Immersion Scholars Academy (MISA)
Location: Medical Immersion Scholars Academy, Oakland
Cost: $1,800 and $75 (application fee)
Dates: Varies as per program cohort
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: Open to High school students
The Medical Immersion Summer Academy is a one-week program for high school students planning a future in healthcare. It offers hands-on clinical training, exposure to different medical careers, and chances to work alongside healthcare professionals. You’ll practice skills like suturing, EKG interpretation, phlebotomy, splinting, and patient vital assessments. The program also focuses on bedside manner and communication. You will earn certifications including CPR, First Aid, Stop the Bleed, Teen Mental Health First Aid, and Bloodborne Pathogens.
15. Young Scientist Program - Washington University
Location: Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
Cost: None. Accepted students receive a $4,500 stipend
Program dates: June 2-July 25
Application Deadline: January 27
Eligibility: Open to current high school juniors who will have completed their junior year by June
The Young Scientist Program at Washington University targets high school students keen on science and research. You will work on active biomedical research projects to gain hands-on experience. You will conduct experiments, collect and analyze data, and learn to use scientific tools and techniques. You will work closely with your mentor and other interns to develop teamwork skills and understand the process of scientific research. You will also attend sessions that provide preparation tips for the SAT, ACT, and subject tests to strengthen your college applications.
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