Hi! I’m looking for summer programs that are good for high schoolers who want to go into medicine. I would love if the cost could be under 5,000 and if it isn’t there is some sort of scholarship thing. Also, not restricted to students from a specific area. Thanks so much!
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@user302903 One idea is to also post on the BS/MD thread to see what those students did during the summers. If you find anything, report back here as I am looking for options as well.
sorry for the late reply, i was able to find some.
- the link is very long, but Brandeis has some, it should pop up if you type in brandeis pre college
- nylf medicine & nslc medicine (very similar + costly)
- gwu has a precollege biomed engineering + intro to medicine https://summer.gwu.edu/pre-college-2022
- another popular thing I’ve seen is reaching out to masters or PhD students in ur area to see if they need research assistants
a lot of these i just found from digging through the internet a lot, and had luck when adding precollege to the end of my searches hope u find something!
@user302903 could your HS student use this time to do any of the following:
- Shadow a variety of doctors?
- Is she old enough to get EMS certification?
- Could she volunteer at a skilled care facility or something like that?
- Is she old enough to get CNA certification?
These would be more valuable, in my opinion, than a you pay you go program.
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Kids from our school just shadow doctors and tend to get EMS training. I haven’t heard of any who did a summer program other than volunteering for some overseas medical missions trips, but there they just mainly did non-medical stuff for obvious reasons.
I want to add….my kid DID do a summer program. She didn’t even list it on her medical school applications…because medical schools don’t give two hoots what you did in high school. The program my kid did was fun…but in retrospect, she says…it really was that…a fun summer program.
Your daughter’s goal right now should be getting accepted to undergrad school. Not worrying about medical school.
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Save your money for college, as these programs aren’t worth the cost. If you have no familiarity with medicine(nobody in family is in the medical field) then volunteering would be you best bet.
As noted above, focus on college applications first, then worry about graduate/professional school later.
If your child is interested in doing biomedical laboratory research, there are summer programs thru the NIH for high school students. Students need to live close to an NIH lab site since no housing accommodations are available. Students must provide their own transportation.
HS-SIP information here–
https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/hs-sip
Program Description:
High School SIP (HS-SIP) provides an opportunity to spend a summer working at the NIH side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research. The NIH consists of the 240-bed Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center and more than 1150 laboratories/research projects located on the main campus in Bethesda, MD, and in the surrounding area as well as in Baltimore and Frederick, MD; Research Triangle Park, NC; Hamilton, MT; Framingham, MA; Phoenix, AZ; and Detroit, MI. NOTE: the number of positions in Hamilton, Framingham, Phoenix, and Detroit is limited. Also, the NIEHS in North Carolina and NIDDK in Bethesda will not accept high school summer interns for 2022.
Applications are currently open for summer 2022.
The program listed by @WayOutWestMom sounds great. But I think the OP is only a HS sophomore. Look at the requirements…I think you need to be a junior or senior at the time of application.
@user302903 what year are you in HS, and what is your age. This program has age restrictions as well.
yes, i have seen that one and it looks incredible, unfortunately, I am still too young for it 
but thank you so much for chiming in, i really appreciate it
i actually went to nylf medicine, and cant recommend it enough, it was super super fun and educational, and we went to the brown simulation lab. although it is very pricey, with scholarships a lot of these programs are worth it if people are looking for something educational & fun, though they arent as impressive on applications 
i do totally appreciate the input though, and i will take it into account regarding future programs!
thank you!! shadowing is certainly something i am looking into, but with covid where it is right now I’m unable to! i am hoping to get an ems certification sr year though, so I’m glad to know that will be worthwhile !!
@user302903 Do you think that you will be applying for BS MD programs? Or will your focus be on undergraduate school and then medical school? I ask because for BS MD programs the volunteering and shadowing should be taking place now in High School, but of course, covid has had a major impact on how these are accomplished.
yeah, i’ll be applying for bs/md programs. shadowing in my area is very minimal and i have had a very hard time finding a hospital volunteer program, because the one in my area requires you to have done it before, but was not happening last year. I’m hoping to find something to help me be a competitive applicant, because my class rank isn’t too awesome.
Look at medical (or allied health) offices outside of your local hospital. Many offices are short staffed can use help from a high school student. You may be doing filing rather than observing surgery but it will expose you to a day-in-the-life of a doctor which will give you valuable insight into whether this is a career path for you.
thank you so much!! do you have any insight into how i should ask them/ what i should say?
Look up doctors in your area and send out emails. I just received an email from a student that went something like:
Dear Dr. ______
My name is ________and I am a sophomore at ___________school. I am very interested in the healthcare field and am considering applying to a BS/MD program in college. I am looking for shadowing and/or volunteering opportunities this summer.
Include when you can start (ex. I finish school on May 14 but and can work full time until August 14). Include if you are vaccinated and attach a resume. Make sure you use a professional email address. Good luck!
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thank you SO much, this is beyond helpful
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