Summers are a time free from the confines and strictures of school, where students are able to fully embrace and explore their interests and passions. The real trick is finding a worthwhile way to spend your summer vacations, rather than wasting time or money participating in programs which won’t help you at all.
Studentsinterested in medicine often look for summer programs which will help introduce them to the field. This both helps prepare them for college, and lets them get a sense as to whether working in medicine is really what they want to do. The medical field is a big commitment, and this is something it’s good to be certain of early. In this article, we’ll be covering some great summer programs for high school students interested in medicine. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but will give you a place to start looking for ways to spend your summer. Let’s get started!
Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute (SASI)
This is a two week internship held on Stanford’s campus in Palo Alto, California. Students do hands-on work, learning under the guidance of medical professionals, and complete a capstone project working with their peers on a real world problem. Students learn both theory and practical skills as part of the program, while also getting to live on Stanford’s campus and get a taste for what college life is like.
The program has an online application, requiring some personal information and a few short essays. They provide a guide on their website on how to apply and what they’re looking for in these essays. Most programs do not do this, so we recommend taking advantage of this resource.
Applications for the program open September 15. There are both regular decision and early decision application options. Applying Early decision gives you priority for choosing housing, while applications for financial assistance are only considered during regular decision applications. ED applications are due December 1, while RD applications are due January 26. The program will cost $5,850 for tuition; housing costs have not been announced for this summer yet.
National Institute of Health – High School Summer Internship Program
More commonly referred to using the acronym HS-SIP, this is a summer research internship for students in grades 11 and 12 who are interested in research and healthcare. Summer interns work at one of the NIH’s campuses under the direction of a principal investigator as part of a research group. Students are given a chance to present their research at the end of the program. The program is free, and stipends are provided.
In order to be eligible for the HS-SIP program, you must be a US citizen or permanent resident. You must be 17 or older on the start date of the program. You must be enrolled in high school full time when you apply, and if you are under 18, you must live within 40 miles of your program location. Housing is not provided for these programs.
The application for the program opens in November, and is due by February 1. They have an FAQ on their site for commonly asked application questions and guidance. Applications require a resume, a cover letter, and three references. Each NIH center selects its own interns.
Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
This is an eight week summer program where high school students perform hands-on research under the guidance of Stanford faculty and staff. The goal of the program is to increase students’ interest in and understanding of medical research. The program is free to attend, and participants are provided with a stipend. However, no housing is provided by the program.
You must be a current junior or senior to apply to SIMR, and must be 16 or older at the start date of the program. You must live in the US, and be a citizen or permanent resident of the country. The selection process for applicants also heavily favors students who already live close to Stanford. If you are not from the Bay Area, you will need to provide the name and address of the family member you will be staying with for the duration of the program; staying in a hotel or at an AirBnB is not permitted.
The application is available online, and opens on December 15. You will get to rank the labs you are interested in working with on the application. A guide to completing the application is made available when the application is. There is an application fee, but this is waived for students whose families earn under $80,000 per year.
Ivy Neurological Sciences Internship Program
This is a research internship open to students at many levels, from med students to high schoolers. Only two high school students participate each year, and each is given a chance to work one on one with a mentor conducting cutting edge research. They are trained in laboratory techniques and practices while doing so, and are given a chance to present their work at the end of the program.
This is a paid, ten week internship. Housing is not provided, and students are expected to handle that on their own. The internship is full time, 40 hours a week. You must be a current high school student, 16 at the beginning of the internship, and eligible to work in the US in order to participate; the program will not sponsor visas.
Applications may be submitted online; the application opens in January and are due by February 4. These require a personal statement, the online application, and two letters of recommendation. As there are only two spaces available each year, acceptance to this program is quite competitive.
Hospital Volunteering
This encompasses a range of programs, as hospitals across the country have places for high school volunteers and interns. Each, of course, handles things slightly differently, tailoring programs to suit their own needs. We’ll go over what you can expect to find from these programs in general, and include a few specific examples.
On the whole, summer internships offered by hospitals are only for juniors and seniors; students who are 16 or older at the start of the internship. This is due both to child labor laws, and for maturity concerns. These internships are sometimes fully volunteering, or can be paid positions; most however are not paid.
These programs almost always attract local students; there are hospitals in every city in the country, and each enjoys building ties with the community it serves; recruiting local students as volunteers is part of that. These are well established programs, with applications and requirements you can find on their sites. Generally hospitals have a page for anyone interested in volunteering; high school volunteers will find their specific opportunities linked from there.
As an example of what this looks like, here is Harris Health System’s (based in Houston) volunteer application. They list their requirements, the responsibilities you will commit to, and link to the application (when it is open). As with most hospitals, they only accept student volunteers for the summer; they know you are too busy during the school year to devote the needed hours.
These positions, like most volunteering positions, must be applied to. These applications are generally due in the spring; this way hospitals can determine their schedule and make sure they have as many volunteers as they need well in advance.
You can end up working in many different positions doing this volunteering, most of which will not be glamorous. This can include filing paperwork, working at a front desk, assisting with patients, or other tasks as needed. Healthcare is a large and complex field, and many moving pieces are needed in order to ensure it runs smoothly.
As a final note: you will need to be fully vaccinated, and provide documentation of such, to volunteer at a hospital. Hospitals are full of sick people, and they want to prevent infections from spreading; this makes them enthusiastic about ensuring everyone working there, volunteer or not, is fully immunized.
Shadowing Opportunities
Shadowing is where you follow around a doctor during their day to day routine, usually over a short time span; most shadowing opportunities last for around a week. This is a chance to see what life is like for a doctor, and what a career in medicine might mean for you.
Shadowing opportunities can sometimes be found in local hospitals, especially teaching hospitals. These opportunities are mostly aimed at current undergraduate students on the pre med track, but some will work with high school students as well. You can also find shadowing opportunities by reaching out to doctors or hospitals directly.
Both shadowing and hospital volunteering opportunities are best found locally; reach out to medical practices near you to find ways to get involved. Many of these organizations see education of the community as a key part of their mission, and enjoy speaking with enthusiastic and motivated students.
Final Thoughts
There are many great ways you can spend your summers, and doing it well will leave you learning exciting new things, meeting interesting new people, and preparing you for the kind of future you want. We hope that the options we’ve presented in this article give you an idea of some of the ways you can explore the field of medicine during your summer. This is not an exhaustive list of all the opportunities available, but a selection of some we have helped students connect with in the past.
Of course, trying to navigate your potential options, and apply to the more competitive summer programs can be stressful. Our candidacy building coaching is designed to remove this stress, and help you find and explore your passions in a way that helps you grow, as a person and as a scholar. If you want to learn more about how we can help you, schedule a free consultation today. We’ve helped hundreds of students spend their summers well, and are always happy to hear from you.
