<p>Hi, I was wondering whether/not there are any medical internship programs for high school freshman. I plan on doing this between my freshman and sophomore years of high school. Currently, I've only gotten mail from NSLC (National Youth Leadership Conference) and the Envision Careers in Medicine Program, though I've heard that both are money-making scams. Anyway, please let me know if there are any CREDIBLE/PRESTIGIOUS/COMPETITIVE medical programs that I can attend (preferably near Chicago).</p>
<p>First off, there are internships out there for high school students, a few of my classmates were able to find them. However, these kids were the absolute bightest of the pack. Im talking 2350+ SAT and 4.0 GPA, like top of the class and they were in their junior year. These internships are very competitive and difficult to get because, quite frankly, your so young you dont have the experience or qualities that the recruiters are looking for.</p>
<p>If you honestly want to look for internships remember, you must be 15 to work, if you are not that old yet, you are legally not allowed to intern yet. My honest suggestion would be to try and boost your resume a little during the year instead of coming straight up and playing Amateur Surgeon. </p>
<p>Find a job (again if you are old enough) and maintain a good GPA. This will show you can balance life and work very well. Try to find either an organization to join in at school (not sports oriented but towards the professional side, if your school doesn’t offer one, maybe create the forensics club, that was a hit at my school) this will at the very least boost leadership skills (besides leading people, leadership is important in decision making, it will allow you to gain the knowledge and self-confidence to make correct decisions in stressful situations). Finally, try to find a hospital to volunteer at. </p>
<p>If you can only do one of the three, I would strongly suggest the third. At the very least, volunteering will enable you to network in a specific hospital with doctors and nurses, and believe me, if your a good volunteer, most will pay attention to that later down the road. Plus this will give you some experience that you can use further down the road. remember, get as high of a GPA as possible. Your freshmen level classes are going to be a cakewalk compared to your senior level ones.</p>
<p>Good Luck, its not impossible, but it will surely be an adventure!</p>
<p>1.) What do you think would make a “good” volunteer?
2.) I am already a part of 3 science clubs, plan on forming another science club, a part of a career club, play the piano (and take exams), play tennis and play for my school chess team. I am not sure whether/not I should add Science Olympiad to that bank of activities. Can you please tell me whether/not it is worth sacrificing my time for it?</p>
<p>While it is great to be a part of multiple clubs, membership is almost meaningless if you do not have at least a position of leadership in at least one of them. Leadership isn’t simply leading people to be motivated to uptake a specific cause ( while this important), it is more based on being able to make difficult decisions when the going gets tough. Being the president of one club is better on a resume than membership of many.</p>
<p>Ill be honest with you, I have no idea what science Olympiad is. If it is something that is judged, as in a competition, either on a local or national level, I would stay with that. What Competition really means is the ability to act pressure, so definately a plus.</p>
<p>One final thought, when considering a volunteering job, be sure to mention you can play the piano. In a hospital setting, a piano being played correctly will add a sense of tranquility to the patients and as such, is a great opportunity to do something that stands out among your peers and enable you to attract the attention of doctors. Thus, I would try to do a volunteering gig at a local hospital or a nursing home. This will definately help out.</p>
<p>As always, Good luck!</p>
<p>Sorry if this seems so jumbled, but I’m at work and using to thumbs is not the most efficient way to write a response…</p>
<p>You could also volunteer at a local hospital. Often they have volunteer positions. Not only do you get that experience, you are in a position to network and meet people who can help you get positions of more responsibility later. Also, individual hospitals, depending on your area, have science and medical programs for youth.</p>