15 Hospital Internships for College Students

Internships are a great way for college students to enhance their profiles while getting practical experience in the field of their choice. For students interested in the medical field, many hospitals provide internship opportunities in clinical and research areas. These opportunities can facilitate your learning in a professional setting, allow you to network with experts in the industry and improve your employability. 

A hands-on internship will also prepare you for a future career in the industry. Instead of learning only the theoretical aspects, you will apply the skills you have learned and investigate research questions that will shape medicine.

Here are a few hospital internships you can apply to as a college student:

1. Vanderbilt Undergraduate Clinical Research Internship Program (UCRIP)

Location:
Cost: None
Stipend: $1,500
Deadline: February 1, 2025
Program Dates: June–August
Eligibility: Students who are college undergraduates at an accredited US college or university during the summer of the program year, are US citizens and have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or greater on a 4.0 scale. Preference is given to those who have prior research experience and have taken advanced science courses.

This program combines research and clinical patient care at an academic medical center, that is, you will complete a research project under the mentorship of a supervisor and observe patient care by shadowing physicians. The project may be clinical or basic science research.

You will also attend weekly seminars on various topics, such as medical school admissions, medical student life, medical education and other issues related to healthcare. At the end of the program, you will present your research. This program is a great way to gain diverse experiences while living on campus.

2. Texas Children’s Hospital Internship Program

Location: Houston, TX
Cost: None
Stipend: None
Deadline: January 5 (summer), March 15 (fall) and September 7 (winter/spring)
Program Dates: 16 weeks
Eligibility: Students who have completed or are currently obtaining a Bachelor's or Master’s Degree. All applicants must be university affiliated or receiving course credit at the time of their internship experience. You must have successfully completed child life coursework inclusive of the 6 applied areas of study, as required by the ACLP; documentation of at least two relevant experiences including the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) defined by the ACLP; the ability to commit to the child life internship and the ability to pass a mandatory health screening and background check according to Texas Children’s Hospital policy.

Texas Children’s Hospital program prepares interns to enter the competitive job market. The program involves two main rotations in associated fields and a specialty rotation; these rotations will be discussed and finalized before the internship begins. By the end of the program, you can expect to learn skills in providing child life interventions in inpatient, outpatient and special care units.

3. Massachusetts General Hospital Summer Research Trainee Program

Location: Boston, MA
Cost: None
Stipend: $5,000 and free housing
Deadline: January 17, 2025
Program Dates: June 2–July 24, 2025
Eligibility: Undergraduate junior or senior, rising first-year medical student, first-year medical student, graduate-school student or post-baccalaureate student attended/attending a college, graduate school or medical school in the US and Puerto Rico and is a US citizen or permanent resident. You must also be a member of a group that is underrepresented in medicine (UiM).

Paired with a faculty preceptor, students will receive guidance on a new or ongoing research project. You will be selected from a nationwide competition and assigned to a specific laboratory, clinical site, health policy or health services research area. In addition to research, you will attend weekly seminars at MGH and career development workshops and networking events and have opportunities for clinical shadowing.

In the first few weeks of the program, you will prepare an abstract for the research project. At the end of the program, you will present your research in an oral format. During this time, you will get the opportunity to network with the student cohort, MGH trainees and leaders.

4. NIH Clinical Center Summer Internship Program

Location: Various NIH campuses
Cost: None
Stipend: Depends on education level
Deadline: February 19, 2025
Program Dates: June 12–August 4, 2025 (tentative, based on the previous years)
Eligibility: US citizens or permanent residents who are currently enrolled in high school, college, graduate school or a health professional school. You must be 18 years or older on June 1, 2025.

In this competitive program, 40 students are selected to work with researchers and health professionals. You may be selected to work at any NIH campus and will work in a research group led by a Principal Investigator. Some potential fields of research include biomedical, behavioral and social sciences with opportunities to explore basic, translational and clinical research.

NIH also provides interns with access to professional development programs, education and career advice and a well-being and resilience program. At the Summer Poster Day, interns present their research conducted during the program. You can attend lectures by investigators and the Graduate and Professional School Fair in July. Other than the NIH SIP, you can apply to sponsored SIP cohort programs depending on their eligibility requirements and your interests.

5. Boston Children’s Hospital Pediatric Anesthesia Clinical and Research Internship

Location: Boston, MA
Cost: None
Stipend: None
Deadline: Not specified. Applications are currently open for the 2025–26 cycle.
Program Dates: Summer (May–August) or nine months (August–April)
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students interested in healthcare. You must have a GPA of at least 3.0.

If you want to learn about anesthesiology in a hands-on setting, this program may interest you. For two weeks, you will be trained as an Assistant Anesthesia Technician. Thereafter, you will work and observe in the OR one day a week. The educational side of the program further involves attending lecture presentations and workshops. You will also conduct research and eventually publish your findings. Lastly, the program offers application and one-on-one mock interviews. With these experiences and exposure, you will discover whether you want to pursue a career in healthcare.

6. Mayo Clinic Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

Location: 3 locations (in Jacksonville, Florida; Scottsdale, Arizona, and Rochester, Minnesota)
Cost: None
Stipend: $6,000
Deadline: February 3, 2025
Program Dates: 10 weeks from May 27–August 1, 2025
Eligibility: Current second- or third-year college undergraduate students at a US college or university who will be a continuing student in the subsequent fall semester, have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale) and are seriously considering a biomedical research career as a Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. (as opposed to a full-time practicing physician).

Undertaking a research project with the SURF program, you will gain hands-on experience in the lab and work with a mentor. Some of the specialized research areas are biochemistry and molecular biology, biomedical engineering and physiology, clinical and translational sciences, immunology, molecular pharmacology and experimental therapeutics, neuroscience, regenerative sciences and virology and experiments. Many students also earn acknowledgements and co-authorship in articles submitted to journals. All these experiences and knowledge will be gained by using state-of-the-art facilities.

7. Cedars-Sinai INSPIRE Future Generations

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Cost: None
Stipend: LA city minimum wage
Deadline: February 15, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Duration: 6–10 weeks depending on mentor and intern availability
Eligibility: Applicants must be an incoming student, current student or recent graduate from a technical, community, undergraduate or post-baccalaureate program and come from a background that is underrepresented in medicine, healthcare and research. You must be eligible to work in the US and must be in Los Angeles or the surrounding area and have reliable transportation to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Internships are available with various Cedars-Sinai departments and institutes. One of them is the INSPIRE program wherein you will learn about research in healthcare through practical training and virtual workshops. Using the latest technology, you will learn about the numerous aspects involved in conducting research in different fields. Training will be imparted in safety regulations, data analysis, abstract writing, literature review, study design and hypothesis development, research discussions and presentation skills and much more.

8. NYU Langone’s Health Career Opportunity Program (HCOP)

Location: New York
Cost: None
Stipend: None
Deadline: December 22, 2024
Program Dates: 4 weeks. Exact dates depend on the session you are selected for.
Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 18 years old at the time of application and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2.

To provide hands-on, observational clinical experience in diverse health fields, this program invited students to intern with them. Students are assigned to a single specialty for the four weeks of the program. The day-to-day schedule will have you observing healthcare professionals in the specialty you are assigned to. Every day, you will also attend one-hour lectures about a branch of rehabilitation medicine or a health profession, a seminar given by Princeton Review or a Q&A panel of healthcare professionals.

Weekly conferences are also organized for you to discuss medical ethics and the obstacles faced by people with mobility issues. At the end of the program, you will take an exam on the things you learned during the observation sessions and lectures. If you pass, you will receive a personalized signed certificate. This program may be eligible for school credit depending on the educational institution you are enrolled in.

9. Stanford Clinical Summer Internship

Location: On-campus at Stanford University or remote
Cost: Depends on the program and session but ranges from $1,980–$6,380 + application fee. Need-based financial aid is available.
Stipend: None
Deadline: February 24,2025 for the summer application and June 2, 2025 for the fall application
Program Dates: 2–10 weeks depending on the program you apply for
Eligibility: High school juniors, seniors and undergraduate premedical students who are 16 years or older by the session start date.

Stanford’s program introduces medicine to undergraduate students. Learning about anatomy, the practice of suturing, administering injections, taking patient histories and making decisions in trauma scenarios in lab settings, you will gain valuable skills to embark on a career in medicine. While lab-based activities may not be part of the virtual sessions, you will take similar courses.

Attendance throughout the course is necessary to earn the certificate at the end of the program. Eventually, you will test the skills you have learned with immersive exercises that require you to diagnose, treat and communicate with patients.

10. Novartis’s Summer of Science Internship Program

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts or San Diego, California
Cost: None
Stipend: Wage competitive with local internship wages
Deadline: November 25, 2024
Program Dates: 10 weeks
Eligibility: Applicants who are at least 18 years of age at the start of the program, have completed at least three semesters or four quarters at an accredited US college or university before the start of the internship, are attending a school in a US state or territory and are eligible to work in the US, have a strong desire to pursue a Ph.D. in a biomedical field and have a GPA of at least 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.

With the biomedical research division of Novartis, you will be conducting research for new disease therapies or drug discovery. If selected, you will be able to participate in a team project conducting industry research. Working on your own research project under guidance from a mentor at a research facility, you will learn about approaches to patient-centric research.

During the program, you will design and execute experiments, analyze data and better understand scientific concepts related to the field. You will be given the opportunity to present your research to Novartis’s biomedical research community. This work will be interspersed with formal and informal social activities.

11. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute Summer Scholars Program (CRISSP)

Location: Philadelphia, PA
Cost: None
Stipend: $5,000 and free housing
Deadline: January 31, 2025
Program Dates: 10 weeks from June 2 to August 8, 2025
Eligibility: Sophomores, juniors and seniors graduating in the spring who are currently enrolled full-time in a four-year accredited college or university at the time of application, have a minimum 3.3 overall GPA, are interested in research related to child health and wellness and are US citizens or legal permanent residents

Undergraduate students from all backgrounds can learn about pediatric research with CRISSP. You will spend 40–50 hours every week training under a mentor and learning research design, techniques and analysis. Projects are available with the basic/translational (lab-based research), clinical (patient-oriented research to study the safety and effectiveness of diagnostics, medicines or medical devices) and behavioral research (patient-oriented research involving the application of social science concepts) teams. You can choose one based on your interests. By the end of the program, you will have completed an independent project and will present a poster.

The program also provides personal and professional development through weekly lunches to discuss mentorship, goal setting and elevator pitches. You will be expected to complete an Individual Development Plan, conduct informational interviews and participate in clinical shadowing opportunities.

12. Johns Hopkins Summer Internship Program

Location: Baltimore, MD
Cost: None
Stipend: $3,000–$5,500
Deadline: February 1, 2025
Program Dates: May 25–August 2, 2025
Eligibility: Undergraduate students from all backgrounds

The Summer Internship Program allows undergraduate students to learn about biomedical and public health research. Combining theoretical and practical learning, students will work on their own lab project with guidance from faculty or research mentors. Formal meetings are held once or twice a week to discuss research problems, work progress and developments reported in the scientific literature. You can conduct research in various divisions and present it in an oral or poster format at the end of the program.

Additionally, you can participate in career development activities, networking events and research discussions. This program is like a first-year graduate student’s lab rotation and requires full-time commitment.

13. Travelers Summer Research Fellowship Program

Location: Weill Cornell Medicine campus, New York City
Cost: None
Stipend: $3,000
Deadline: February 1, 2025
Program Dates: 7 weeks from June 16–August 1, 2025
Eligibility: Undergraduates in their junior year of college, seniors applying to medical school in the current cycle and college graduates enrolled in a pre-medical post-baccalaureate program

In a small cohort of 25–27 pre-medical students, this program will train you in experimental research. You will work in a laboratory or clinical setting under supervision to answer a specific research question. Teaching is also imparted regarding healthcare for the under and uninsured, healthcare disparities, research basics, a financial aid presentation and practical advice from medical students on the medical school application process and preparing for the MCAT. You will also interact with physicians from various specialties in career panel discussions. Though limited, this program offers shadowing opportunities.

14. Feinstein Summer Research Internship Program

Location: New York
Cost: None
Stipend: $2,000
Deadline: January 24, 2025
Program Dates: 8 weeks from May 28–July 23, 2025
Eligibility: Current college students in the US who are interested in medical research

25 students will be selected for this internship program. As a mentored program, you will learn about disease-oriented research. Students are paired with research faculty depending on their interests and work on an ongoing project. You can pick one of the 6 available institutes to intern with: behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer research, health system science, molecular medicine and translational research.

In addition to research, you will attend workshops and seminars specifically tailored to facilitate your learnings as part of the program. By the end, you will present an academic poster to the faculty and other students and discuss your research findings.

15. Summer Program for Academic Research in Cancer (SPARC)

Location: IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, IU
Cost: None
Stipend: Available, but amount is not specified
Deadline: Not specified
Program Dates: 10 weeks from May 20–July 26, 2025 (tentative, based on the previous year)
Eligibility: High school seniors, undergraduate students and first-year medical students who are interested in cancer research and are US citizens of green-card holders.

This program is for students interested in cancer research. Combining mentored and cancer-focused research experiences with professional development workshops, you will gain exposure to basic science, translational and clinical research. You can also interact with renowned investigators and access shared facilities. Opportunities to interact and network with other students, clinical and post-doctoral fellows and faculty are available.

Looking for an immersive internship experience ?
Check out Ladder Internships!

Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program that connects students with startups and nonprofits from industries around the world! As part of the internship, you will work on real-world projects that are important to the startup and present your work at the end of the internship. You will also be mentored by their manager from the startup as well as a Ladder Coach. Apply now!

Stephen is one of the founders of Ladder Internships and a Harvard College graduate.