Tips to Land Your Dream Summer Medical Internship

Summer medical internships can make your college application and resume impressive, even if you’re a high school student. You’ll benefit from the experience with practical knowledge, skill development, and a deeper understanding of medicine, other branches of healthcare, biomedical science, and research. They often provide an hourly wage or stipend too. Your commitment to healthcare will be greatly appreciated by college admission officers. Thanks to its overall value, medical internships for high school students are the most sought-after.

Our tips will help you boost your chances of landing your dream medical internship this summer.

• Decide what type of summer medical internships is your dream.

Most high school students looking for an internship start by identifying the industry or job sector they’re interested in. You already know what industry your dream summer medical internships belong to. However, you should consider the other types of medical internships, apart from hospitals available to high school students. Medical schools, universities, and research facilities also host summer medical programs that could be a better match for your career goals. You may even benefit from research projects, paid positions, and volunteer work, in addition to your internship. They can enhance your college application while giving you a broader understanding of the healthcare industry.

• Start your search for summer medical internships as early as the fall. 

Empowerly has already identified 15 Medical Internships For High School Students to give you a head start. You still have to put in a lot of time and effort if you want to land your dream medical internship, so you might as well start as early as a year. This will give you enough time to stay ahead of the application deadlines and find the best information by:

• Searching online for programs for high school students in your geographic area
• Posting on social media sites like LinkedIn for high school medical internships and jobs for high schoolers
• Talking to your guidance counselors and science teachers about local programs
• Checking with free clinics and private practices on top of local hospitals for more opportunities

• Evaluate your summer medical internships eligibility.

Most include the information on the application or post it on their website along with deadlines. Read and understand the eligibility criteria for the medical internship programs you’re interested in. This may include whether you’re a resident of a state or geographic area, your age, your grade in high school, or if you’re a member of an underrepresented group. It will be immediately clear if you don’t meet the requirements and can’t apply. If you aren’t eligible for an opportunity, the good news is there will likewise be another internship opportunity matched to you. It will increase your chances of getting it since there’s less competition.

• Network with target employers now instead of waiting for an internship.

If you network with the different types of medical employers that we mentioned in Tip #1, you probably have strong relationships in the medical industry locally or even globally. Chances are you won’t need to wait for an internship opportunity to go live. Your dream summer medical internships might be offered to you directly. The best way to build relationships is by doing it before the need for important contacts arises. Volunteer with free clinics, private practices, and even hospitals to build your network quickly and, more importantly, a good rapport with people on the inside.

• Don’t let having little to no experience stop you from landing summer medical internships.

If you have little to no experience but still want your dream medical internship, we recommend playing up your strengths and eagerness to learn in your cover letter/resume and interview. By customizing your resume to a particular position, you can better translate past jobs and skills to current positions. For example, communication skills are always applicable in any role or field. If your extracurricular activities and community involvement are relevant, highlight them to tighten your qualifications. The same goes for the interview. Focus on your strengths and forget your weaknesses. Practice your responses so you stay relaxed, even under pressure.

Medical internships are the most competitive opportunities because they also come with the most advantages, including a majority being paid positions. We suggest first asking yourself these questions to make your internship goals clearer.

• What knowledge and skills are my strongest?
• What weaknesses can I address with my internship?
• After I graduate medical school, what area or job in healthcare am I interested in pursuing?
• Is there a company or organization I’d enjoy working at after med school?

We hope these tips, along with our start-to-finish Empowerly’s Guide to High School Internships and the useful Startup Internship Program, will help you land your dream gig this summer!