14 Medical Programs for High School Students in Virginia
If you are a high school student considering a future in medicine, a structured medical program outside of school can be a great next step. These programs offer you hands-on exposure to healthcare environments and roles before college. Medical programs let you work in clinical environments, shadow physicians, run lab experiments, and become familiar with patient communication, anatomy, medical terminology, and research methods, which is the kind of exposure rarely found in standard high school curricula. Some programs even let you present original research or earn a certificate you can reference in your college essays. Such experiences can make a real difference, not just for your application, but also for your own clarity about whether this is actually the path you want. There are genuinely strong opportunities out there, and Virginia has more than a few such programs.
Why should you attend a Medical Program in Virginia?
Virginia is home to medical schools, research universities, teaching hospitals, and healthcare systems that offer a wide range of medical programs for high school students. Depending on the program, you may explore clinical medicine, biomedical research, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, or allied health professions through laboratory activities, hospital experiences, mentorship, and college-level coursework. Whether you are interested in patient care, medical research, or another area of healthcare, Virginia offers programs that provide early exposure to different medical career pathways.
To simplify your search, here we have narrowed down 14 medical programs for high school students in Virginia.
If you’re looking for STEM programs in Virginia, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
Virginia offers medical programs across a wide range of healthcare fields, including biomedical research (VCU MSIP, GMU ASSIP), dentistry (VCU DCE), pharmacy (VCU Pharmacy Summer Scholars), allied health (VCU AHCE), and oncology (ACS and VCU Massey Cancer Center program).
Several programs are completely free, including VCOM SEE Camp, VCU MSIP, VCU Dental Careers Exploration, UVA Mini-Medical School, ODU Health Sciences Academy, VCU Allied Health Career Exploration, and the ACS Cancer Research program, which also provides a $500 stipend.
Many programs are geographically restricted to local or regional students, including VCU MSIP (Greater Richmond Area), ODU Health Sciences Academy (Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Northampton County schools), and UVA Health Prince William (requires hospital proximity in Manassas).
Programs vary in format from short immersive experiences (VCOM SEE Camp, VCU DCE, GW Biomedical Lab Sciences) to longer multi-week internships (GMU ASSIP, VCU MSIP, UVA Health Prince William) and even a multi-year pipeline program (ODU Health Sciences Academy).
Most application deadlines fall between February and May, with a few earlier deadlines like VCOM SEE Camp (March 6) and Duke-comparable programs, so students should prepare materials during the winter semester.
1. VCOM Summer Enrichment Experience (SEE Camp)
Location: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), Blacksburg, VA
Cost: Free
Dates: Week 1: June 21 – 26 | Week 2: July 5 – 10
Application deadline: March 6
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors from Virginia with a minimum GPA of 3.5
SEE, a free medical immersion camp held at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, is designed to give you a look at what science and medicine careers look like. Led by VCOM faculty and medical students, the week-long program takes place in a working cadaver lab and simulation center. As a participant, you will practice suturing and surgical knot-tying with a surgeon, run biomedical experiments analyzing cultures under a microscope, learn the basics of epidemiology, and participate in hands-on clinical simulations that mirror real healthcare scenarios. The week wraps up with a small group research project that you will present to VCOM faculty and parents on the final day.
2. Veritas AI’s Deep Dive: AI + Medicine
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks; multiple cohorts each year
Application deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Students in grades 8 – 12 who have completed the AI Scholars program or have a background in codingVeritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers a range of programs for high school students interested in artificial intelligence. In the AI + Medicine Deep Dive, you will explore how AI and machine learning can be used in healthcare and medical research. You will work on project-based tasks involving the development of AI models for healthcare applications such as disease diagnosis and medical imaging. The program also focuses on how AI-generated insights can support doctors and patients in medical decision-making. You will gain exposure to the link between artificial intelligence and medicine while working on real-world scenarios. You can learn more about the program through its application form.
3. VCU Medical Science Internship Program (MSIP)
Location: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, VA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June 15 – July 24
Application deadline: February 12
Eligibility: High school students (preferably rising high school juniors and seniors) who are current residents of the Greater Richmond Area
The VCU MSIP is a full-time, free medical research experience at the VCU School of Medicine for high school students. You will join a working research lab at VCU to work on an assigned project by the lab, under day-to-day mentorship from an MD/Ph.D. or graduate student mentor working under a principal investigator. Throughout the six weeks, you will attend weekly seminars led by guest lecturers affiliated with VCU or partnering organizations, covering topics relevant to biomedical research and healthcare careers. The program wraps up with a poster and slideshow presentation that you will deliver to peers, mentors, family, and the broader VCU community in the final week.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Remote! You can participate in the program from anywhere in the world.
Cost: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Application deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort
Eligibility: Students enrolled in high school who demonstrate a high level of academic achievement
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities across a wide range of subject areas for high schoolers to explore. The program pairs you with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the program, you will have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as health science, data science, psychology, physics, economics, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
5. George Mason University Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Online or George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus, Science and Technology Campus (Manassas), and Potomac Science Center, Woodbridge, VA
Cost: $1,299 + $25 application fee; waivers available
Dates: June 18 – August 12
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Students who are at least 15 years old (or 16+ for in-person and wet lab settings); applicants must not have already graduated from university
ASSIP is an eight-week, full-time research internship at George Mason University that places students one-on-one with faculty researchers across a wide range of scientific fields. You can choose from medicine-focused research areas, with options ranging from molecular medicine and neuroscience to cancer biology and infectious disease epidemiology. You will work with your mentor 30 hours a week, using lab equipment and methodologies that are part of active, ongoing research. What sets ASSIP apart from many high school programs is the potential for real, publishable outcomes. Past interns have had their names appear in scientific journals and presented findings at professional conferences, and the program concludes with a required Research Symposium where you present your work publicly. You will also earn three undergraduate credits from George Mason upon successful completion.
6. VCU Pharmacy Summer Scholars
Location: VCU School of Pharmacy’s MCV Campus, Richmond, VA
Cost: $50; need-based fee waiver available
Dates: July 20 – 24
Application deadline: No formal deadline specified; recommended priority consideration deadline: Early March
Eligibility: Current high school students in grades 9 – 12
VCU Pharmacy Summer Scholars is a one-week, in-person program at VCU's MCV Campus designed for students who want to understand what pharmacy as a healthcare career actually involves. Over five days, you will tour the pharmacy school and VCU Health hospital pharmacies, conduct nonsterile compounding in a lab setting, and participate in career exploration and professional development sessions with current pharmacy students and faculty. The program is hands-on throughout; you will engage in lab work and tour clinical environments where pharmacists actually work. The program is competitive, with only 30 spots available each year.
7. VCU Dental Careers Exploration (DCE)
Location: VCU School of Dentistry, 520 N. 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia
Cost: Free
Dates: July 13 – 17
Application deadline: May 2
Eligibility: High school students from rising seniors to sophomores to graduating seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or above; students must be U.S. citizens/permanent residents.
The VCU Dental Careers Exploration program gives high school students a five-day, hands-on look at dentistry through the facilities and faculty of VCU's School of Dentistry. Rather than focusing on general health science theory, the program goes into the specific skills and roles within the field. You will spend the week learning about the different career paths within dentistry, including dental hygiene, general practice, and dental specialties, while actually engaging in tasks dental professionals perform. Lab activities include wax tooth carving, taking dental impressions, suturing simulated tissue, and working with digital dentistry tools. Faculty and dental professionals will offer insights into the educational requirements and day-to-day work of each role, giving you a glimpse into what training and practice in dentistry actually look like.
8. UVA Health Prince William Summer Teen Patient Engagement Program
Location: UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, Manassas, VA
Cost: $20 uniform shirt fee; no other program cost
Dates: June 15 – 26 | June 27 – July 10 | July 13 – 24 | July 27 – August 7
Application deadline: March 20
Eligibility: High school students who have completed or will complete their sophomore year by summer and have a minimum GPA of “B” or above
This program places you in a working hospital for two weeks, rotating through departments including the Emergency Department, surgical services, physical therapy, materials management, guest services, and registration. The experience is designed to give you a realistic sense of hospital culture and operations, so instead of just shadowing, you will participate in actual volunteer tasks where you will be part of the day-to-day hospital environment. You will attend an orientation and training on your first day, covering confidentiality, infection prevention, fire safety, and patient care protocols before beginning your rotations. On completing the two-week program, you will become eligible to volunteer year-round at the hospital. If you are a consistent year-round volunteer, you may be considered for the UVA Health Auxiliary Scholarship, which is awarded annually to high school seniors and college students.
9. UVA Mini-Medical School
Location: University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia
Cost: Free
Dates: Seven consecutive Wednesday evenings in the fall
Application deadline: No formal deadline specified; applications accepted during July
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors, UVA faculty and staff, and community members
UVA Mini-Medical School is a seven-week evening program run by the UVA School of Medicine that provides a structured look at how physicians are trained and how the healthcare system works. Led by UVA faculty members with support from current medical students, the program covers a wide range of medical topics. Past programs have explored clinical reasoning, AI in medicine, pediatric cancer, infectious disease, anatomy, surgical innovation, and diabetes, among others. You will get to experience elements of medical school that are not typically visible from the outside, including research lab environments, patient interview techniques, and Match Day, which is when medical students find out where they will complete their residencies. The experience can help you boost your health literacy and see what it is like to study medicine at the college level.
10. VCU Allied Health Career Exploration (AHCE)
Location: VCU Health Campus, Richmond, VA
Cost: Free
Dates: June 8 – 19
Application deadline: April 13
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors and current college freshmen, sophomores, and juniors
The VCU Allied Health Career Exploration program is a two-week residential experience that provides hands-on exposure to allied health professions through activities and discussions. You will focus on nine pathways offered by VCU's College of Health Professions, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, patient counseling, clinical laboratory sciences, nurse anesthesia, rehabilitation counseling, radiation sciences, health administration, and gerontology. The program also offers workshops on current healthcare topics, interviewing skills, and resume development, providing a career-preparation component alongside academic exposure. Additionally, you will gain insights into the College of Health Professions’ application process.
11. ODU Health Sciences Academy
Location: Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
Cost: Free
Dates: July 20 – 31 (multi-year program)
Application deadline: Applications are managed through partnering schools; you can contact your school's point of contact for specific deadlines.
Eligibility: Rising 10th graders from Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Northampton County Public Schools who are in good academic and attendance standing; Chesapeake Public Schools students already enrolled in another academy program are not eligible.
The ODU Health Sciences Academy is a tuition-free, multi-year pipeline program designed to help high school students from urban and rural backgrounds explore healthcare careers before college. The program is structured as a long-term commitment; you will begin in 10th grade and continue learning through an introductory health professions curriculum across multiple years. The two-week summer component offers access to medicine and public health lectures, hospital and healthcare organization tours, and a capstone project that you will complete and present as part of the program. Right before your senior year, you will spend the summer shadowing and connecting with professionals in local health science settings. The program also focuses on long-term mentorships between students and working medical and health professionals.
12. ACS and VCU Massey Cancer Center’s Cancer Research High School Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: No cost; $500 stipend
Dates: July 6 – 17
Application deadline: February 6
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors currently residing in Virginia with an interest in any STEM discipline; applicants must be full-time students with no conflicting summer courses, work, or scheduled travel during program hours.
This two-week virtual experience, run by VCU Massey Cancer Center and sponsored by the American Cancer Society, is designed for Virginia high school students interested in oncology and biomedical research. During one week, you will receive live, online cancer research instruction and an at-home experiment kit to use actual lab techniques in real time. The second week focuses on career exploration through professional development workshops, panels, and presentations with researchers, clinicians, and healthcare professionals from across the country. The program connects you with peers from across Virginia who share an interest in cancer science and medicine, and the sessions are structured around active participation.
13. George Washington University’s Biomedical Laboratory Sciences Summer Immersion Program
Location: Online or George Washington University’s Virginia Science and Technology Campus (VSTC), Ashburn, VA
Cost: $1,000 (in-person session) | $250 (virtual session)
Dates: In-person session: July 20 – 24 | Online: July 27 – 31
Application deadline: May 31
Eligibility: High school students with limited prior lab experience who have completed both Algebra 1 and Biology with a grade of B or higher; college students are also eligible.
This is a lab program at GW's Virginia campus in Ashburn that teaches diagnostic and molecular techniques used in real biomedical science settings. Over five days, you will work through laboratory safety and sterile technique, blood cell differentials, microbial plating, DNA extraction, PCR, and agarose gel electrophoresis, the same foundational skills covered in undergraduate and professional lab coursework. The week ends with a case study project presentation in which you will apply what you have learned to real patient laboratory findings. Sessions each day are split into morning and afternoon blocks, with a lunch break, and combine lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on work.
14. Inova High School Volunteer Program
Location: Multiple sites in VA: Inova Alexandria Hospital, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Inova Loudoun Hospital, and Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, Northern Virginia
Cost: Free
Dates: Three sessions per year: spring, summer, and fall
Application deadline: Varies by session; registration opens and closes within a short window per session
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years of age by the start of their chosen session
The Inova High School Volunteer Program places you in working hospital environments across five Northern Virginia campuses. You will spend time engaging with patients and families in a busy clinical setting, working independently, and exploring hospital operations. Your assignment area will vary by location and availability, but the experience lets you make direct observations while working in a functioning healthcare facility. You will commit to one shift per week for the duration of the session, with the option to add more shifts in the future.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best medical programs for high school students in Virginia?
Strong options depend on a student's interests. Students drawn to hands-on clinical environments might consider UVA Health Prince William or Inova's Volunteer Program, those interested in biomedical research might look at VCU MSIP or GMU ASSIP, and those exploring specific fields like dentistry or pharmacy might consider VCU DCE or VCU Pharmacy Summer Scholars.
Are there free medical programs for high school students in Virginia?
Yes, several programs are free, including VCOM SEE Camp, VCU MSIP, VCU Dental Careers Exploration, VCU Allied Health Career Exploration, UVA Mini-Medical School, ODU Health Sciences Academy, and the ACS and VCU Massey Cancer Center program, which also provides a $500 stipend.
Which Virginia medical programs involve hands-on lab or clinical work?
VCOM SEE Camp includes suturing, biomedical experiments, and clinical simulations, VCU Pharmacy Summer Scholars includes nonsterile compounding, VCU DCE includes wax carving and dental impressions, and GW's Biomedical Lab Sciences program covers PCR, DNA extraction, and blood cell differentials.
Are there medical programs in Virginia that focus on research rather than clinical exposure?
Yes, VCU MSIP and GMU ASSIP both place students in active research labs with faculty mentors, while the ACS and VCU Massey Cancer Center program provides structured cancer research instruction with an at-home experiment kit.
Which Virginia medical programs are open to students from outside the Richmond or Northern Virginia area?
Veritas AI's AI and Medicine Deep Dive and the Lumiere Research Scholar Program are both fully remote and open to students worldwide, while VCOM SEE Camp accepts rising juniors and seniors from across Virginia.
When should I apply to medical programs for high school students in Virginia?
Deadlines vary widely. Early deadlines include VCU MSIP (February 12) and GMU ASSIP (February 15), while others like GW Biomedical Lab Sciences (May 31) and VCU DCE (May 2) fall later in the spring. Some programs like UVA Mini-Medical School accept applications during July for fall programming.