14 Healthcare Internships for High School Students in Tennessee

Healthcare internships give high school students a chance to see how hospitals and clinics operate. You'll build skills like patient communication and empathy while getting a realistic sense of whether a medical career is right for you. These programs also help you start building a professional network early, which can open up future internship opportunities.

What healthcare internships are available for high school students in Tennessee?

Tennessee is a good place to find healthcare internships for high schoolers. Nashville is widely recognized as a hub for the healthcare industry, and major institutions like Vanderbilt University Medical Center, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and HCA Healthcare are based here. That means you can get exposure to areas from global health systems and research to primary care in rural Appalachian communities through programs like those at East Tennessee State University. 

We narrowed it down to the 15 best healthcare internships for high school students in Tennessee to help you find the right fit.

1. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital High School Research Immersion Program

Location: Memphis, TN
Stipend: $4,800
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; ~30 students
Dates: June 2 – July 25
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors from the Memphis-Shelby County area and nearby counties in Tennessee, Mississippi, or Arkansas; must be at least 16 years old with a minimum 3.0 GPA

This is an eight-week, full-time research internship where you work directly with a St. Jude research team on an active project. When you apply, you can indicate whether you’re more interested in lab research, epidemiology, psychology, clinical research, or data science. You work in pairs, which makes the learning curve less intimidating and gives you someone to troubleshoot with from day one. You’ll spend your days learning how research actually works, asking questions, analyzing data, and getting regular feedback from mentors and a science educator. By the end of the program, you present your work as a scientific poster at a community exhibition.

2. Ladder Internships

Location: Remote

Cost/Stipend: Cost varies according to the program type; financial aid is available / No stipend

Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10–25% acceptance; 70–100 students per session

Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter

Application Deadline: Varies as per cohort; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November); apply here

Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap year students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks

In this program, you’ll gain a behind-the-scenes look at the startup world through remote, hands-on projects in areas like AI/ML, marketing, and tech. You’ll work alongside founders to tackle real-world business hurdles, moving beyond theory into actual daily operations. To support your growth, the program includes expert mentorship from company managers and a Ladder coach, along with workshops focused on essential skills like teamwork and presenting. You may even get the chance to pitch your final results to top executives. Ultimately, this collaborative experience shows you exactly how creative strategy and leadership intersect to help a new company thrive.

3. Vanderbilt University Medical Center – Biomedical Informatics Summer Program

Location: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 2–4 high school students
Dates: May 26 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school students based in Nashville who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents

With only a handful of high school students selected, the Biomedical Informatics Summer Program directly places you into a faculty-led biomedical informatics research group at Vanderbilt. Your work centers on real healthcare data problems, not pre-designed exercises, and you’re expected to keep up with the pace of an active research environment. You will spend most of your time building, testing, and refining a research project. Alongside project work, you attend a summer seminar series where faculty walk through how informatics research decisions are made and how people move from student roles into research careers. 

4. Jackson-Madison County Schools – West TN Healthcare LOOP 2.0

Location: Jackson, TN; hosted at West Tennessee Healthcare (Jackson General Hospital)
Stipend: Paid hourly wage, rate not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Academic year or summer
Application Deadline: Varies by cycle
Eligibility: High school students in the Jackson–Madison County School System; must be at least 17 years old before the program start date 

LOOP 2.0 is a paid, school-year work placement where you spend part of your week working inside Jackson General Hospital while earning academic credit. You apply through your school, adjust your class schedule, and interview for a specific department, currently Dietary Services or Environmental Services. Once placed, you will follow hospital procedures and handle responsibilities. There’s onboarding involved, including background checks and a physical, just like any hospital job. It’s a straightforward way to understand how a hospital actually runs day to day and what working in a healthcare setting feels like before graduation.

5. LU-Springer High School Summer Research Internship (Aspirnaut)

Location: Nashville, TN; hosted at Vanderbilt University Medical Center with on-campus housing at Vanderbilt University
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not specified
Dates: May 31 – July 11
Application Deadline: January 14
Eligibility: High school students interested in STEM fields

In this program, you work as part of research teams and contribute to ongoing projects in areas like cancer, diabetes, regenerative biology, and biomedical engineering. The work is hands-on and mentored, so you’re running experiments, collecting data, and learning how lab research actually functions day to day. You’re living on campus during the program, which adds a real college-life component alongside the lab work. At the end of the internship, you present your research through a poster and oral presentations. The program also includes structured support around college planning and test prep, but the core of the experience stays centered on doing real research in a university lab.

6. Internships at the American Psychological Association (APA)

Location: Virtual (students must reside in U.S. states where APA is registered)
Stipend: Paid and unpaid options available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; cohort size varies by department
Dates: Offered year-round; Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter sessions
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students enrolled at least part-time in an academic institution; must be eligible to work in the U.S., and residing in a state where APA is registered as an employer; (students under 18 need a D.C. work permit)

Internships at the American Psychological Association give you a behind-the-scenes look at how psychology is used outside of hospitals and clinics. You’ll spend time supporting projects in areas like research, policy, communications, and public education. Depending on the role, this can mean helping with research summaries, writing content, assisting with data or web projects, or supporting internal teams with day-to-day work. The structure feels like a real workplace rather than a class, so you get a sense of how large organizations apply psychology in practice. Internship length, responsibilities, and pay depend on the specific position you apply for.

7. Vanderbilt University – Research Experience for High School Students (REHSS)

Location: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 6%; typically small cohorts
Dates: Late May – Early July

Application Deadline: Spring Semester of junior year

Eligibility: Rising high school seniors enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Science and Research (ISR) program at Stratford STEM, John Overton, or Hillsboro High School; must be at least 16 years old

The REHSS program is run through the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach at Vanderbilt University. You spend six weeks working in a Vanderbilt University or Vanderbilt University Medical Center research lab. Each student completes an independent research project under the supervision of a faculty mentor and lab research team. Weekly program workshops supplement the lab experience and cover topics related to research practice and professional development. You present your research at an end-of-summer symposium open to the Vanderbilt community. Admission decisions are based on academic performance, course rigor, application materials, and recommendations, including one from your ISR teacher. 

8. West Tennessee Healthcare Junior Volunteer Program

Location: Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and other West Tennessee Healthcare affiliates

Stipend: None
Dates: 8 weeks starting the first week of June
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; cohort size varies by location
Application Deadline: March 13

Eligibility: High school students aged 14–18 years who are 14 years old by June 1, have completed 8th grade, and have a minimum 2.5 GPA 

The West Tennessee Healthcare Junior Volunteer Program enables you to gain firsthand exposure to a professional hospital environment. During your weekly shifts, you will perform essential tasks like greeting visitors, delivering supplies, and assisting staff in nursing units or the gift shop. A unique highlight is the series of "Academy Sessions," where specialists teach you about diverse healthcare careers and hospital operations. Through this service, you will build critical skills in professional ethics, patient confidentiality, and effective communication. By treating your volunteer hours like a real job, you develop the maturity and responsibility necessary for a successful career in the health sciences.

9. Erlanger Auxiliary VolunTEEN Summer Program

Location: Chattanooga, TN; hosted across multiple hospitals by Erlanger Health System
Cost/Stipend: $20 uniform cost / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; approximately 200 students
Dates: June 9 – July 14
Application Deadline: Typically, April
Eligibility: Rising high sophomores through rising college freshmen who are at least 15 years old by June 1 (considerations may be made for 14-year-old rising sophomores)

The Erlanger Auxiliary VolunTEEN Summer Program offers you a six-week opportunity to explore the healthcare field firsthand. You will cover both clinical and administrative topics while volunteering at the region's only academic teaching hospital. Throughout your shifts, you will transport patients by wheelchair, assist with office filing, and greet visitors to provide family support. The program features a team-based structure, which allows you to work directly within active hospital departments alongside professional staff. These experiences help you build essential skills like leadership, professionalism, and effective communication. You will also develop a deeper sense of empathy by seeing how medical staff care for their community daily.

10. Meharry Medical College – Futures in Health Sciences Summer Internship

Location: Meharry Medical College, Memphis, TN
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; ~15 – 20 students
Dates: Four weeks in June – July
Application Deadline: Typically, March or April
Eligibility: High school students entering grades 10–12

In this program, you rotate through clinical site visits, research labs, and hands-on workshops covering medicine, dentistry, research, and data-driven healthcare roles over four weeks. Because the cohort is small, you get ample interaction time with faculty, researchers, and healthcare professionals instead of being lost in a large group. You’ll spend time shadowing professionals and working in lab-style settings. One distinctive component is access to Meharry’s teaching kitchen, where students pick up foundational lab skills and learn the basics of patient-centered care. By the end of the program, you walk away with a clearer sense of which healthcare careers actually fit you.

11. Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Summer VolunTEEN Program

Location: Various Memphis area hospitals, including: Methodist University, North, South, Germantown, Olive Branch, and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; cohort size not publicly disclosed
Dates: June 2–26
Application Deadline: April 18
Eligibility: High school students aged 16–18 who are 16 years old by June 1 of the program year

In the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Summer VolunTEEN Program, you will explore diverse healthcare topics like patient experience, hospital operations, and various medical professions by rotating through clinical and non-clinical departments. Throughout the session, you’ll assist staff with administrative tasks, navigate patients through the facility, and participate in educational seminars led by experts. By engaging in these daily responsibilities, you will sharpen vital skills such as professional communication, teamwork, and a deeper sense of empathy. This meaningful experience ensures you walk away with a practical understanding of hospital life and a solid foundation for your future career journey.

12. Baptist Memorial Health Care: CRASH Course

Location: Multiple sites in Tennessee, primarily Memphis (Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women) and Union City (Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union City)
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; cohort size varies by facility
Dates: Union City: June 23–27; Memphis: July 14–16
Application Deadline: Union City: April 11; Memphis: May 3
Eligibility: High school students who have completed their freshman, sophomore, or junior year

If you’re a high school student in Tennessee interested in medicine, the CRASH Course provides a direct, behind-the-scenes look at hospital life. You will explore various fields like nursing, radiology, and pharmacy through activities like practicing sutures on fruit, earning CPR certification, and shadowing surgeries. The program's unique rotation-based approach lets you visit specialized units like labor and delivery or the cardiac cath lab, offering a comprehensive view of patient care. By joining mock trauma drills and touring emergency helicopters, you’ll develop clinical skills like taking vitals and starting IVs. This intensive week ultimately sharpens your communication and teamwork, giving you a significant head start on your future medical career.

13. Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging Summer Research Internship (Virtual)

Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $2,400 + $45 application fee; financial aid is available / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; ~50 students
Dates: Session A: June 15–26; Session B: July 6–17

Application Deadline: February 20

Eligibility: U.S.-based high school students entering grades 9–12; must be 14+ by program start

This two-week virtual internship focuses on how artificial intelligence is used in healthcare and medical imaging. You attend live online sessions that break down machine learning concepts using real healthcare examples instead of abstract theory. The program includes coding workshops, group discussions, and guided work with healthcare datasets. A major focus is on understanding how AI models are built, evaluated, and where they fall short in medical settings. You also have the opportunity to hear directly from researchers and professionals working in health AI through structured career sessions. The schedule is intensive and requires consistent participation across the two weeks.

14. Stanford Clinical Summer Internship

Location: Virtual; hosted by Stanford University
Cost/Stipend: Summer: $4,580 + $95 application fee | Fall: $2,480 + $75 application fee; fee waivers are available for summer sessions / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; ~24 students
Dates: July 27 – August 7 | Fall: September 10 – November 12 (tentative)
Application Deadline: Summer: February 2; Fall: June 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are 16 or older and have completed a high school biology course

This two-week virtual internship focuses on clinical simulations and structured medical casework. You move through guided sessions covering skills such as suturing, injections, and physical exams using online tools. Much of the work involves analyzing simulated patient cases, forming diagnoses, and discussing treatment options in group settings. The experience is instructional and simulation-based rather than patient-facing or hospital-based. Sessions are designed to mirror how hospitals approach clinical problems in academic medicine. The internship concludes with a group presentation based on an assigned medical case.