15 Medical Internships for High School Students in Charlotte, North Carolina (NC)
If you’re a high school student in Charlotte, North Carolina, interested in medicine and related fields, summer internships in the city can give you a glimpse into the industry while helping you develop essential skills. These programs place you in healthcare environments where you can shadow doctors, observe nurses, and even contribute to research projects. Depending on the program, you may learn how to take vitals, assist with basic clinical tasks, participate in lab experiments, or support community health initiatives.
Beyond the practical experience, internships allow you to see how different roles in healthcare work together, deepening your understanding of patient care and medical teamwork.
Participating in an internship not only helps you understand whether medicine is the right path for you, but it also strengthens your resume and college applications by demonstrating commitment and initiative. Most internships offer mentorship from healthcare professionals, exposure to medical terminology, and opportunities to attend workshops or career panels. Universities and hospitals in Charlotte host many programs with access to faculty, labs, and research, while hospitals and community health organizations may provide shadowing and volunteer experiences that provide insight into medical practice.
To get you started, we’ve compiled this list of 15 medical internships for high school students in Charlotte, NC. Let’s take a look.
1. Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) High School Internships
Location: University research labs across the country, including the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina
Cost/Stipend: No cost; stipend varies with location
Dates: Varies with location; typically 8 weeks in the summer, June - August
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Open to high school juniors and seniors, or recent graduates who are at least 17 years old by June 15. Do look through all the eligibility requirements before applying
This internship is a chance to work one-on-one with a university researcher or Department of Defense (DoD) scientist mentor on Army-sponsored research projects. In this program, you will get to work with high-tech equipment and learn new techniques in top-notch laboratory facilities, and work with professional scientists and engineers. Research areas that you may work on include nanotechnology, regenerative medicine, chemical engineering, and neuroscience. This apprenticeship fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork, preparing you for your future career in STEM.
2. Ladder Internships
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Varies with the program
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students. As a Ladder intern, you will get to work with a high-growth start-up or nonprofit organization in a virtual setup. Start-ups that offer internships range across a number of industries, including tech/deep tech, AI/ML, health tech, medicine, marketing, journalism, sustainability, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies that have raised over a million dollars on average. In the program, you will work closely with your startup manager and a dedicated Ladder Coach on projects that are relevant to the company and present your work to the company. This internship also includes professional skills and group training sessions.
3. Atrium Health Summer Internships
Location: Atrium Health, Charlotte, North Carolina
Cost/Stipend: No cost; students will receive a stipend
Dates: 7 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: May 30
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old
Atrium Health offers a seven-week, paid summer internship for high school students (and college students) through the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program (MYEP), typically in Mecklenburg County/public schools. Interns work at least 24 hours per week, in-person, virtually, or in a hybrid format, and earn a stipend (varies by placement). As an intern, you will work on non-clinical projects at Atrium Health and receive essential skills training. You will be required to submit bi-weekly reports on your work and training. The program also includes weekly virtual experiences with Atrium Health leaders across the organization that will help you gain insight into the healthcare system and the different career opportunities in the field.
4. Novant Health Bridges to Healthcare Internship Program
Location: Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina | Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Cost/Stipend: No cost; students will receive a stipend
Dates: 8-16 weeks between March and June
Application Deadline: Applications usually open in the spring
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors in the Winston-Salem or Charlotte areas, or recent graduates from partner schools; At least a 2.5 GPA and a household income of $40,000 or less
This internship program helps high school students and recent graduates explore careers in healthcare by giving them exposure to clinical and non-clinical roles across hospital departments like radiology, rehab, respiratory services, and human resources. You’ll work side-by-side with healthcare teams, support ongoing projects, attend meetings, and observe daily operations. This experience aims to help you build professional skills like critical thinking, time management, and strong communication, while you also use tools like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint in a fast-paced setting that values diversity and teamwork.
5. Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) Summer Research Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost: $850 participation fee (financial aid available)
Dates: June 16-27
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Open to rising 9th–12th graders in the U.S.; age 14+ by program start
This two-week virtual program gives you a practical introduction to AI in healthcare, where you’ll learn through technical lectures, group research sessions, and mentoring from Stanford students and faculty. You’ll work with data and build AI models that address medical challenges while improving your coding and problem‑solving skills. You’ll also join virtual career “Lunch and Learn” sessions with experts from universities, the medical industry, government agencies, and nonprofits. At the end, you'll earn a certificate of completion and may even opt for an extended independent research project.
6. Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS): Virtual Experience
Location: Virtual | In-person (Baltimore, Maryland)
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Virtual interns receive a $500 stipend, and in-person interns are paid at an hourly rate
Dates: 5 weeks, July to August (Virtual) | 8 weeks in the summer (In-person)
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors from underrepresented communities across the country
At the Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS), you’ll learn lab skills like pipetting, microscope use, and data analysis through experiments and virtual workshops. You’ll listen to presentations on brain research, work on projects with mentors, and practice writing research summaries and giving talks. You’ll build networking and mentorship skills, engage in professional development training, and present your final project to peers and faculty, all through either a virtual experience or an in-person internship focused on neurology and neuroscience.
7. Mayor’s Youth Employment Program
Location: Various locations across Charlotte, with virtual options
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Students receive a stipend of $1,950
Dates: The program typically runs for 6 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Varies with the placement
Eligibility: High school students who are 16 years old and enrolled in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools or reside in the City of Charlotte
The Mayor’s Youth Employment Program (MYEP) is a 6-week summer career-focused internship program that gives students the opportunity to explore different career options. During this program, students can choose to intern with one of many local organizations and nonprofits in Charlotte across various industries. As an intern, you will gain exposure to diverse career paths, refine key skills, engage with industry experts, and build professional networks. The program aims to strengthen the community by fostering individual growth and achievement. MYEP collaborates with host employers across Charlotte’s private, public, and nonprofit sectors to provide career experiences for students. Past sponsors include healthcare providers, tech companies, and more.
8. Internships at the American Psychological Association (APA)
Location: Both in-person (Washington, D.C.) and virtual options are offered
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Both paid and unpaid internships are available. Unpaid positions usually offer academic credit
Dates: Year-round opportunities; specific duration varies by position
Application Deadline: Varies with the role
Eligibility: High school students under 18 eligible to work in the U.S.; must reside and work in a state where APA is registered as an employer
The American Psychological Association (APA) offers remote internships for students interested in careers in psychology or psychiatry. As an intern, you’ll take on tasks based on both the APA’s goals and your own interests and skills. These may include helping with research surveys, writing for digital platforms, or contributing to administrative and special projects. Internships are available in areas such as public policy, research, communications, and finance. You’ll also attend team meetings and workshops, gaining valuable experience in skills like critical thinking, communication, project coordination, and collaboration.
9. Stanford Medicine’s Clinical Summer Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,380
Dates: July 28 - August 8
Application Deadline: February 24
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are 16 years or older
The Stanford Clinical Summer Internship (CSI) is a two-week virtual program that allows you to explore the field of clinical medicine in depth. You’ll learn diagnostic thinking, practice physical exam techniques, and study patient cases in small groups. Through interactive lectures and virtual simulations, you’ll build skills in medical specialties like cardiology and pediatrics while receiving guidance from Stanford faculty and clinicians. You’ll also participate in patient interviews, clinical workshops, and career discussions, and you’ll earn a certificate when you complete the program.
10. Parkview Health’s High School Student Internships
Location: Virtual | Hybrid | In-person (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: The internship lasts one semester and is offered year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students are eligible to apply. The school must submit all applications. Parents and students interested in a Parkview experience should contact their school's guidance counselor, internship coordinator, or CTE instructor.
Parkview Health offers a number of programs for high school students that gives them the chance to explore different healthcare career options. One of these is the High School Student Internship. During this internship, you’ll spend a semester working in a department you’re interested in, like patient care, administration, or medical imaging. You will learn skills like taking patient histories, organizing files, using healthcare software, and working with care teams. This practical experience can help you figure out which parts of healthcare interest you the most before you start college. While a stipend is not offered, you will gain relevant insight into how hospitals and clinics work, and the role you could play in those setups.
11. Stanford’s SHTEM: Summer Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $50 application fee; financial aid is available
Dates: 8 weeks, June-August
Application Deadline: Usually in late February
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors (11th–12th grade), age 14+ by start date
This program, offered by Stanford University, gives high school students a chance to gain research experience in a range of SHTEM (Science, Humanities, Techbology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. You’ll work on interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of subject areas such as medicine, engineering, psychology, linguistics, and tech, while also receiving mentorship from Stanford faculty and students. Interns are expected to commit 30–40 hours per week remotely, gaining skills in research, analysis, and creative problem-solving. Past projects have explored topics such as the use of virtual reality in surgical training, the overlap between astronomy and visual arts, and efforts to reduce gender disparity in engineering.
12. Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) by George Mason University
Location: Virtual | In-person (Fairfax, Virginia)
Cost/Stipend: There is a $25 application fee, which can be waived based on financial need.
Dates: June 18 - August 9 (8 weeks)
Application Deadline: February
Eligibility: Students who are at least 15 years old by the start of the program can apply. Interns for “wet lab” internships should be at least 16 years old
George Mason University’s ASSIP offers remote internship opportunities for high school students to work one-on-one with faculty researchers at the university and its partner institutions. As an intern in this program, you will receive access to innovative technology and learn new software to work on your research projects. You will also get to to develop scientific writing and communication skills and explore career choices in various fields, including medicine and healthcare. The internship provides project opportunities in numerous fields, including proteomics and molecular medicine, biochemistry, drug discovery, neuroscience, biology, disease diagnostics, women’s health issues, infectious disease and epidemiology, tissue repair and regeneration, and lots more.
13. ASPIRE by the Johns Hopkins University
Location: Virtual | In-person (Baltimore, Maryland)
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June 25 - August 22 (summer session) | September-May (academic year session) (Dates TBA)
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in February
Eligibility: Students who are high school juniors or seniors with a minimum 2.8 GPA in the Washington-Baltimore area, at least 15 years old by June 1, and U.S. citizens
The ASPIRE program pairs high school students with laboratory staff and university faculty to collaborate on projects, solve problems, and learn technical and interpersonal skills. ASPIRE offers both in-person and virtual options. When applying, you’ll be asked to choose your area of interest. Based on that, you will be assigned a mentor and project to work on. Students interested in pursuing medicine may opt for related subjects to receive relevant projects. Most medicine placements in this program are highly competitive and are focused on biological and biomedical research.
14. UT Southwestern Medical Center’s High School Student Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: 2 weeks in June
Application Deadline: February
Eligibility: Rising 10th-12th grade students and rising college first-years
At UT Southwestern Medical Center, you can take part in a two-week online internship focused on mental health. You’ll learn from psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, social workers, and physician assistants, gaining insight into what their work looks like. You’ll join interactive sessions, work through readings from research journals and articles, and get involved in discussions and live demonstrations. You’ll work on developing skills like psychotherapy, neuropsych testing, neuroscience, interventional psychiatry, and how mental health care is provided in the community.
15. Bio‑Medicine Saturday Academy – UNC Charlotte
Location: University of North Carolina (UNC) Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina
Cost: $125 fee
Dates: Every Saturday for five weeks + two virtual sessions
Application Deadline: August 23
Eligibility: Current North Carolina high school students in grades 9-12
This program is for current high school students in grades 9 to 12 who want to explore medicine through practical laboratory work. You’ll attend five in-person Saturday sessions at UNC Charlotte, plus two virtual evening sessions led by faculty and healthcare professionals. You’ll study systems like the cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems. You’ll also learn how to analyze vital signs, interpret patient symptoms, and apply clinical reasoning. Your lab work will include dissections, using diagnostic tools, and working through case studies where you suggest diagnoses and treatments.
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