10 Medical Internships for Undergraduates in the Bay Area
Internships are an effective way for college students to go from classroom learning to practical experience. They can help you build a stronger resume, develop practical skills, and show future employers or graduate programs that you have explored your interests beyond coursework. Internships also help you clarify what parts of a field you enjoy the most, which can be valuable when making long-term career decisions. For students interested in medicine, internships offer an early look at clinical care, research, public health, or health systems.
Why should I do a medical internship in college?
A medical internship allows you to build concrete skills in research, patient interaction, data analysis, or healthcare operations, depending on the program. Internships strengthen your applications for jobs, medical school, and other graduate programs by showing work experience and a commitment to the field. Employers and admissions committees value candidates who have explored their interests.
As opportunities vary widely in structure and quality, we narrowed our focus to programs that provide mentorship and exposure. Below, we highlight 10 of the best medical internships for undergraduates in the Bay Area, a region known for its hospitals, research institutions, and healthcare innovation.
1. Ladder University Internship Program
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Varies by placement; financial aid available
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts each year (spring, summer, fall, winter)
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort; typically January, May, September, and November
Eligibility: Undergraduate and gap year students able to commit 10–20 hours per week for 8–12 weeks
The Ladder University Internship Program is a selective, fully remote internship that places you with startups and nonprofits across industries, including technology and AI-adjacent fields. During the program, you work on a defined, real-world project aligned with an organization’s operational or product needs. Depending on the placement, projects may involve data analysis, automation workflows, technical research, product strategy, or software-related initiatives. You collaborate directly with a manager at your host organization and operate within a structured remote environment that emphasizes accountability and deliverables. The program focuses on practical skill development, professional communication, and independent problem-solving. Throughout the internship, you receive feedback on your work and gain exposure to how distributed teams manage timelines and execution. Apply now!
2. Summer Administrative Internship – Stanford Health Care
Location: Stanford Health Care sites in California (on-site, hybrid, or remote depending on role)
Cost/Stipend: Paid internship
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: 8, 10, or 12 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Closed (applications reopen by December)
Eligibility: High school students (16+), undergraduates, and graduate students
This is a paid summer internship focused on healthcare administration and operations rather than clinical care. You’ll be matched to a specific department and work on projects tied to operational support, process improvement, or strategic planning, with a preceptor guiding your day-to-day work. The program is designed to show you how large healthcare systems function, from finance and strategy to clinic administration and service operations. Alongside project work, you’ll also take part in structured professional development, including seminars with health system leaders, networking sessions, and small-group leadership exposure. Internship areas vary each year and have roles for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, with expectations scaled to your academic level. This experience is a strong fit if you’re curious about healthcare leadership, administration, or policy and want exposure to a major academic medical system without pursuing a clinical track.
3. Stanford Clinical Summer Internship (CSI) – Stanford Medicine
Location: Stanford University campus (on-campus option) or virtual
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Fall intensive capped at 24 students
Program Dates: 2-week summer session (on-campus or virtual) or 10-week virtual fall intensive
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors (age 16+), and undergraduate pre-med students
CSI is a short-term clinical education program focused on building foundational medical skills and helping you explore what practicing medicine actually looks like. You’ll rotate through interactive lectures, skills sessions, and case-based small groups led by Stanford faculty, clinicians, and current medical or physician assistant students. Across all formats, the emphasis is on learning how to take patient histories, perform physical exams, and think through diagnoses. You can choose between a fully on-campus summer session, a virtual summer session, or a virtual fall intensive that meets one evening per week, depending on your schedule and learning style. The on-campus option includes simulation-based activities and exposure to Stanford’s teaching facilities, while virtual options cover similar material through live Zoom sessions. This program makes the most sense if you’re early in your pre-med journey and want structured exposure to clinical thinking without the long-term commitment of a research or gap-year program.
4. Undergraduate Summer Internship in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics – UCSF School of Pharmacy
Location: San Francisco, CA
Cost/Stipend: Paid cost-of-living stipend plus airfare
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: Two-month summer program
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: College sophomores and juniors; science majors with a minimum 3.0 GPA; U.S. citizens or permanent residents
This is a full-time summer research internship where you’ll work in a UCSF lab focused on pharmaceutical sciences or pharmacogenomics. You’ll be matched with a faculty mentor and a graduate student and spend most of your time contributing to an active research project, building skills that are directly relevant to academic research careers. Interns are integrated into UCSF’s broader Summer Research Training Program, which means you’ll take part in cohort-based activities with other undergraduate researchers on campus. The program is especially designed for students whose home institutions offer limited research access, as well as those from underrepresented or first-generation backgrounds. You’ll gain hands-on lab experience while learning how graduate-level biomedical research actually operates day to day.
5. CVI Summer Research Program – Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
Location: Stanford University, CA
Cost/Stipend: Minimum $7,000 stipend; possible additional travel or housing support Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: Mid-June – mid-August (10 weeks)
Application Deadline: December 19
Eligibility: Undergraduate students and U.S.-based MD students; international undergraduates are eligible with an appropriate visa status
This is a full-time, 10-week summer research program focused on cardiovascular and pulmonary science. You’ll spend the majority of your time working on a research project in the lab of a Stanford faculty mentor, with the remaining time dedicated to seminars, career development workshops, and networking events. The program is structured to balance research with formal training in translational science and academic career paths. Research areas span topics such as heart failure, rhythm disorders, cardiothoracic surgery, health disparities, and clinical trials, depending on mentor availability. Most students complete at least eight weeks of in-person research, with limited flexibility for partial virtual work if approved by the lab. This program is a strong fit if you’re seriously considering a research-oriented path in medicine or science and want sustained mentorship in a well-resourced academic setting.
6. CDPH Internship Program – California Department of Public Health
Location: Remote, hybrid, or on-site (primarily Sacramento and Richmond, CA)
Cost/Stipend: Paid hourly internship (rate varies by location and education level)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: Spring: February 3 – May 15; Fall: September 2 – December 11
Application Deadline: Fall applications open in early April
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students (specific requirements vary by placement)
This is a paid, part-time internship that places you within a California state public health department team for a spring or fall term. You’ll work 18 to 29 hours per week on projects tied to fields like epidemiology, health education, data science, policy, laboratory sciences, IT, or healthcare administration. Internships are designed to give you exposure to how public health work happens at the state level, rather than focusing on academic research or clinical care. Depending on the role, you may work remotely, in a hybrid format, or on-site at a CDPH campus. The program also includes professional development opportunities aimed at helping you understand public service careers after graduation. This internship is a good fit if you’re considering public health, policy, or health systems work and want practical experience inside a government agency rather than a university or hospital setting.
7. Undergraduate Biotech Internships – QB3-Berkeley
Location: Bay Area biotech companies (off-campus placements)
Cost/Stipend: Paid full-time internship (salary set by host company)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: May – August (10 weeks)
Application Deadline: February (applications closed)
Eligibility: UC Berkeley sophomores and juniors with a minimum 3.2 GPA and relevant biology or chemistry coursework
This is a competitive summer internship program that places UC Berkeley undergraduates directly into local biotech companies as full-time employees. You’ll work on a long-term research project using industry lab techniques, rather than rotating through short assignments or shadowing roles. Interns are embedded one-on-one with company mentors and contribute to R&D efforts at startups and established biotech firms. Past placements have included companies working in therapeutics, diagnostics, and applied biosciences across the Bay Area. The program is designed to help you test whether industry research is a good fit while building practical skills that differ from academic lab work. This internship is best suited if you’re a Berkeley student considering biotech or industry-focused graduate paths and want hands-on experience that closely mirrors full-time industry research.
8. Dolhun Clinic Pre-Medical Internship – Dolhun Clinic
Location: San Francisco, CA
Cost/Stipend: Paid stipend (amount not specified)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: Not specified
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: College graduates pursuing a pre-medical path (gap year program)
This is a full-time, year-long pre-medical internship embedded in a private medical practice, rather than a hospital or university setting. You’ll work with patients daily while learning how a private clinic actually operates, from clinical workflows to the business side of medicine. Interns are involved in real-time patient care and function as part of a small, close-knit medical team. In addition to clinic work, you’ll shadow specialists, participate in local and international medical humanitarian efforts, and pursue scholarly writing with the expectation of submitting at least one piece for publication. The program places a strong emphasis on independence, professionalism, and long-term mentorship over the course of the year. This internship works best if you are taking a gap year after college and want an immersive, demanding experience that mirrors the realities of practicing medicine rather than a short-term summer program.
9. Department of Research & Evaluation Summer Internship Program – Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation
Location: Southern California (primarily on-site; specifics vary by role)
Cost/Stipend: Paid internship (pay varies by student level)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: 10 to 12 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Positions posted February; interviews March–April
Eligibility: Enrolled students, most commonly graduate-level (requirements vary by project)
This is a summer research internship embedded within Kaiser Permanente’s Department of Research & Evaluation, where projects are closely tied to real clinical practice and care delivery. You’ll be fully integrated into a scientific team and assigned a defined research project with clear deliverables, timelines, and mentorship. The projects often align with public health and health services research and may be structured to meet CEPH practicum requirements. Past work has included studies in epidemiology, health equity, antibiotic stewardship, cancer outcomes, and clinical data analysis. Beyond project work, you’ll gain exposure to how large-scale healthcare research is administered within an integrated health system and have opportunities to connect with leadership and staff. This program is best suited if you’re considering a research, epidemiology, or public health career and want applied experience that directly informs healthcare decision-making.
10. UCSF / Kaiser Permanente Undergraduate Research Internship (URI) – University of California, San Francisco
Location: San Francisco, CA
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 16 interns per year
Program Dates: 8-week summer program
Application Deadline: TBA
Eligibility: Currently enrolled University of California, Berkeley undergraduates
URI is an immersive summer research and clinical exposure program designed to support Berkeley undergraduates interested in pursuing medicine, particularly students who have had limited access to mentorship or medical pathways. You’ll take part in a structured experience that combines a research project with clinical shadowing in UCSF departments such as OBGYN and Reproductive Sciences, Anesthesia, and Family Medicine. The program pairs research, clinical exposure, and leadership development with sustained mentorship, including guidance around the medical school application process. In addition to lab and shadowing work, you’ll participate in didactic sessions and community-building activities with a small cohort. URI also has a strong alumni network, and past interns often stay involved as mentors and ambassadors. This program is best suited if you’re a Berkeley student seriously exploring a medical career and want both confirmation of fit and long-term advising in a supportive, cohort-based setting.
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