12 Medical Internships for High School Students in Las Vegas

Engaging in a medical internship while in high school can help you build practical skills, learn how healthcare teams work, and develop professional habits that will serve you in your future career. 

Medical internships designed for high school students typically offer exposure to real-world health facilities or research environments to help you see how concepts you learn in school apply to patient care, research, or public health. The experience can also help your college applications stand out, as it can demonstrate your initiative, curiosity, and dedication to the medical field.

As an intern, you will learn from doctors, nurses, medical researchers, or healthcare innovators and get insights into each career path in the field. Exploring different specialties through such internships can help you discover where your interests and talents align. 

To make your search easier, we have compiled 15 medical internships for high school students in Las Vegas. Here you will find both in-person and virtual opportunities open to high schoolers in the city. 

1. Sunrise Hospital’s Medical Explorer Program

Acceptance rate/cohort size: 25 students/session
Location: Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center, Las Vegas, NV
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Summer and Fall sessions; summer activities require 8 hours/week, school year requires 12 hours/month.
Application deadline: October 23 for the fall session; Summer deadline typically in April
Eligibility: High school students, ages 15–17, who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents

The Medical Explorer Program at Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center offers high school students an immersive introduction to healthcare careers. You will learn about different medical professions through hands-on activities, including IV preparation, medication draws, lab cultures, and tours of hospital facilities like the ambulance base and helipad. You will also complete volunteer service hours, join hospital service projects, and participate in community outreach events such as health fairs and blood drives. The program emphasizes personal growth, helping you build communication skills, character, and career awareness. You must attend at least 75% of meetings, complete monthly service hours during the school year, and commit more time in the summer. 

2. Ladder Internship Program

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies; financial assistance available
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year with varying start dates
Application deadline: Varies by cohort; Fall: September/August | Spring: January | Summer: May/June | Winter: November
Eligibility: Students in high school and undergraduate programs who can work for 10 to 20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks; also open to gap year students

Ladder Internships is a startup-focused internship program for high school students. Here, you work with a high-growth startup. Opportunities are available across industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health, marketing, journalism, and more. Ladder’s startups, on average, raise over a million dollars. In the program, you will work with one such organization, primarily interacting with a manager and a Ladder Coach while working on real projects. You will also present your work to the company. You can learn more about the program formats and available industries on the application form here.

3. Summerlin Hospital’s Teen Volunteer Program

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Summerlin Hospital, Las Vegas, NV
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Year-round opportunities with varying dates
Application deadline: Rolling applications
Eligibility: High school students, ages 16–18,  with a GPA of 2.5 or higher

Summerlin Hospital Medical Center offers a Teen Volunteer Program that allows high school students to gain valuable exposure to the healthcare environment while serving their community. As a volunteer, you will assist hospital staff with tasks such as greeting visitors, delivering items, or helping with administrative duties, giving students a firsthand look at how hospitals operate. You will perform assigned tasks with minimal supervision, developing a sense of responsibility and independence in the process. You must work one four-hour shift/week and commit to a minimum of 100 hours.

4. Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican Hospitals Volunteer Program 

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican Hospital campuses, Las Vegas, NV
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Year-round opportunities with varying dates; commitment of a total of 100 hours a year
Application deadline: Rolling applications
Eligibility: Students who are at least 14 years old and have a minimum 3.0 GPA

The volunteering opportunity at Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican Hospital allows you to gain experience in health-based community service. As a volunteer, you may assist the staff involved in the emergency department, patient admission, pet therapy, or other areas, and get to observe the daily operations of a health facility. You will also explore the administrative, logistical, and clerical side of healthcare while engaging in office work like filing, answering phones, setting up rooms, and providing Medicare assistance. Your tasks might also involve running errands for the elderly and assisting the staff with arranging cognitive stimulation therapy sessions.

5. Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS)

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Location: Virtual track available for Las Vegas students
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June – August; five weeks
Application deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors in North America

The JHIBS program provides high school students with a five-week virtual introduction to neuroscience and brain research. Through interactive seminars, you will explore brain anatomy, neurological diseases, and basic laboratory techniques from the comfort of your own home. The program includes professional development sessions on scientific writing and presentations, helping you gain communication skills valuable for future studies. You will also engage in virtual lab simulations and collaborative projects with peers. Throughout the internship, you will learn directly from Johns Hopkins researchers and get early exposure to careers in neuroscience and related disciplines.

6. Stanford Clinical Summer Internship (CSI)

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $4,380 + $95 application fee
Dates: July 28 – August 8.
Application deadline: June 2
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors

The Stanford Clinical Summer Internship (CSI) introduces high school students to clinical medicine through virtual case-based learning. Through simulated patient scenarios, you will learn diagnostic reasoning, patient management, and ethical decision-making. The curriculum includes interactive sessions with current medical students and residents who share insights into life in medical school. You will also engage in discussions on healthcare systems and medical ethics, developing a clearer understanding of modern clinical practice. A highlight of the program is the opportunity to explore multiple medical specialties, from surgery to paediatrics, through detailed case studies. You will work on and present your medical case study along with your team during the program, refining communication skills and critical thinking skills in the process.

7. UT Southwestern’s Inspiring Careers in Mental Health Internship

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited spaces
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June – July; two weeks
Application deadline: September
Eligibility: Rising 10th–12th graders

The UT Southwestern Virtual Internship in Mental Health is a two-week program that introduces students to the field of mental health, a key part of modern medicine, through online sessions. Led by psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers, the curriculum covers assessment methods, treatment options, and the wide range of careers available in mental health care. You will also engage in discussions about topics like psychotherapy, community psychiatry, neuroscience, and interventional treatments. You will also get access to reading material from scientific journals and popular media to help you prepare for the sessions. Interactive lectures and case studies can offer you insights into how mental health providers diagnose and treat various conditions. 

8. Georgetown University's Medical Research: Clinical Trials Resulting in Medical Discoveries Program 

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Remote
Cost: $1,795
Dates: Multiple one-, two-, and four-week sessions each year
Application deadline: Varies based on the selected session; applications typically close one week before the session starts
Eligibility: Students, ages 13+

The Medical Research course is part of Georgetown University’s online pre-college program. During this program, you will explore medical or clinical research through video lectures and hands-on activities. You will learn about clinical trials, evidence-based medicine, cancer research, and ethical considerations in medical research. You will also work on a project, studying research papers and discussing components of scientific inquiry involved in conducting clinical trials. The program also offers insights into college majors and career paths in biostatistics, pharmacology, medical research, and related fields.

9. Stanford’s Cardiothoracic Surgical Summer Internship

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,500 + $95 application fee; financial aid available
Dates: Program 1: June 23 – July 4 | Program 2: July 14 – July 25
Application deadline: TBA; application window opens in January
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16; applicants under 16 are eligible only if they are juniors or seniors in high school

The Cardiothoracic Surgical Summer Internship is a two-week virtual opportunity to explore cardiothoracic surgery and surgical techniques. As a participant, you will engage in lectures and surgical lab sessions to learn about imaging techniques, anatomy, cardiac diseases, and a variety of surgical procedures. You will also get practical experience in techniques like porcine heart dissection, vessel anastomosis, and suturing. The program offers training in the use of surgical instruments. Throughout the summer program, you will learn foundational surgical methods and connect with Stanford faculty and surgical residents.

10. UC San Diego’s Research Scholars Program

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; varies by track
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by track
Dates: Vary by track
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Grades 9–12; subject and grade-level prerequisites can vary by course

The UC San Diego Research Scholars Program offers high school students a chance to participate in university-level research across science domains, including sports medicine, life sciences, and bioengineering. Here, you will engage in research practices, including lab-based experiments, simulations, and case studies. Tracks like the Institute of Engineering in Medicine can help you build technical and analytical skills and explore the role of engineering in medicine. You will learn how to conduct research from UCSD faculty, gaining exposure to professional expectations and advanced topics. The flexible online structure allows you to pursue research in your area of interest during the school year.

11. Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) Summer Research Internship

Cohort size: ~25 students
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: $850 and a $40 application fee; no stipend
Dates: June 16 – 27
Application deadline: February 28
Eligibility: High school students who are 14 or older and U.S. citizens; priority is given to applicants who have previously worked on a healthcare project and/or have strong math or computer programming skills

Stanford’s AIMI Summer Research Internship is a virtual program offering an introduction to the intersection of AI and healthcare. Here, you will explore the role of AI in the context of medicine and healthcare and work on solving a real-world medical challenge with the assistance of AI tools. Throughout the program, you will have access to mentorship offered by researchers and Stanford Student Leads. The internship also comes with opportunities to participate in social activities, group work sessions, and virtual interactive sessions led by guest speakers from backgrounds like nonprofits, academia, government, and industry. During the program, you will work on a research project, which you can continue working on after the program ends.

12. American Psychological Association (APA) Internships

Acceptance rate/cohort size:
Location: Remote options available for Las Vegas students
Stipend: Paid and unpaid internships available; stipend amount not specified
Dates: Internships available throughout the year in fall, spring, summer, and winter
Application deadline: Varies based on the internship
Eligibility: High school students eligible to work in the U.S. and residents of a state in which APA is already registered as an employer

APA offers high school students opportunities to explore paths in psychology through practical exposure to research, education, policy, publishing, communications, or operations. As an intern, you work in a specific department within APA and perform daily tasks under the guidance of a supervisor. Depending on your placement, you may be involved in projects such as writing briefs, analyzing data, assisting in content development, or supporting educational initiatives aligned with APA’s strategic goals. You will have access to workshops, group discussions, and networking sessions to develop a clearer understanding of psychology as a profession. Although not a typical medical internship, the experience can offer valuable insights into the field of mental health practice.