15 Summer Medical Programs for High School Students in Washington State
If you’re a high school student thinking about medicine, getting hands-on experience early can make a big difference in shaping your interests and future goals. Summer medical programs give you the chance to move beyond textbooks and actually see how healthcare works in real settings. You’ll practice skills, meet professionals, and explore whether medicine is the right path for you.
Choosing a local program also makes sense because it helps you save on travel and housing while still accessing high-quality opportunities. In Washington state, you’ll find programs at well-regarded institutions like the UW Medical Center and the Virginia Mason Medical Center, where you can explore everything from clinical care to biomedical research.
Some programs emphasize lab work, data analysis, and exposure to current medical questions, while others focus more on shadowing and patient care. To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of 15 of the best summer medical programs for high school students in Washington state, including both in-person and virtual options.
15 Summer Medical Programs for High School Students in Washington State
1. Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Training Program
Location: Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: None / $2,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive / 16 students
Dates: July 14 – August 8
Application Deadline: March 9
Eligibility: Current 10th graders with a strong interest in biology, biochemistry, microbiology, public health, or a related field | Live within commuting distance of Downtown Seattle for the duration of the program
This program gives you hands-on experience working in a professional biology research lab. Over the summer, you’ll learn techniques such as microscopy, PCR, bacterial transformation, and immunoassays while also exploring fields like immunology, gene editing, and infectious diseases. Alongside lab training, you’ll take part in lectures on topics ranging from public health to global medicine and attend college and career readiness workshops. The program also includes tours of research facilities so you can see how scientific work connects across disciplines. By the end, you’ll complete an independent project that ties together the methods and knowledge you’ve learned and present your findings in an oral presentation.
2. Ladder Internships
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on the program type; full financial aid is available / None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective / 70-100 students
Dates: Several cohorts year-round; Summer I: June 2; Summer II: July 14
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort; Summer I: May 11; Summer II: June 23
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students
Founded by Harvard entrepreneurs, Ladder Internships connects ambitious high school students with high-growth startups for hands-on project experience. Ladder’s start-ups have substantial funding, with founders from top companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook and accelerators like Y Combinator. Over eight weeks, you’ll dedicate 10–20 hours per week to real-world work like developing strategy documents, coding systems for medical devices, or conducting scientific research reports. You’ll meet regularly with company coaches and mentors, progressively building and presenting two professional deliverables. By the end of the internship, you’ll have practical startup experience, exposure to entrepreneurial environments, and projects you can showcase in portfolios or future opportunities.
3. INSIGHT High School Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,200
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective / Approximately 93 students per cohort
Dates: July 7 – August 1
Application Deadline: May 19
Eligibility: Current or recently graduated high school students
The INSIGHT High School Program is a four-week experience focused on public health, injury prevention, and biomedical research. You’ll collaborate in teams on research projects, receive mentorship from UW faculty, and learn to analyze real-world public health data. You’ll examine how social justice and health disparities influence community health, while developing skills in data collection, analysis, and visualization. Projects are related to real-world issues, such as designing emergency routing plans after a natural disaster. Along the way, you’ll join seminars on communication, resume building, and public speaking, and you’ll hear directly from healthcare professionals, researchers, and community health leaders.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on the program type; full financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective / 400+ students
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring; Summer I: June 2; Summer II: July 14
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort; Summer I: May 11; Summer II: June 23
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school | Students must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs high school students with PhD-level mentors from top universities to complete an independent, college-level research project. You can choose from a wide range of fields across STEM, humanities, and social sciences, or propose a customized topic. Over 12 weeks, you’ll explore a chosen subject, develop a research question, and work one-on-one with your mentor to write and refine an academic paper. The program includes personalized mentoring sessions and sessions with a writing coach to strengthen communication and research skills. You may also be eligible to earn credit from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). You can apply here.
5. Fred Hutch Cancer Center Pathways Research Explorers Program
Location: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: None / $500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive / Approximately 16 students per session
Dates: Session 1: July 28 – August 8; Session 2: August 11 – 22
Application Deadline: March 14
Eligibility: 10th and 11th-grade students who have completed an introductory biology or chemistry course | Live in Seattle or surrounding areas
This two-week summer medical program for high school students in Washington State introduces you to biomedical research through lab activities, facility tours, and direct interaction with scientists. At Fred Hutch, you’ll explore cancer research, immunotherapy, epidemiology, and biostatistics while practicing basic lab techniques in the Learning Lab. The small cohort format gives you opportunities to ask questions and see firsthand how researchers at different stages of their careers approach their work. You’ll also learn about academic and career paths in science and medicine while connecting with peers who share similar interests.
6. Fred Hutch Cancer Center Summer High School Internship Program
Location: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
Stipend: Financial awards are provided to students who successfully complete the internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: <10% / 20-30 students per cohort
Dates: 8 weeks in June – August
Application Deadline: Typically in March (rolling dates posted annually)
Eligibility: 11th and 12th-grade students with a strong academic background and interest in science
SHIP is an eight-week program where you begin with two weeks of training in safety, lab skills, and scientific concepts before joining a mentor’s research group. The training includes pipetting, sterile technique, DNA isolation, PCR, gel electrophoresis, and discussions of genetics and blood cell development. Once placed in a lab, you’ll work alongside professional researchers on tasks such as preparing solutions, recording data, and attending lab meetings, with schedules tailored to each project. Weekly seminars cover ethics, health disparities, data visualization, and biostatistics, while professional development sessions help you strengthen presentation and writing skills. The experience concludes with a presentation where you reflect on your internship and share your work with the Fred Hutch community.
7. COPE Junior Health Scholars Program
Location: Deaconess Hospital & Valley Hospital in Spokane, WA; Allenmore Hospital & Tacoma General Hospital in Tacoma, WA
Cost: $325 (9 months), $475 (6 months), $595 (3 months) + $21 application fee; discounts are available and scholarships from an outside organization are accepted
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately competitive / Not specified
Dates: 3–9 months starting January 1
Application Deadline: October 15
Eligibility: High school students who are 16 or 17 years old by the application deadline
The Junior Health Scholars Program places you directly in clinical and administrative settings, where you can shadow professionals and support patient care. You’ll practice skills like patient transport, comfort care, supply management, and professional communication while working alongside healthcare teams. The program is structured so that you can observe how nurses, physicians, and administrators coordinate care, while also learning about career and education pathways in medicine and allied health. In addition, mentorship from current Health Scholars and staff gives you guidance on both academic and career planning. Upon completion of the program, you’ll earn a certificate that strengthens college and job applications.
8. UW Medicine - UDOC
Location: Virtual/in-person at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive / Approximately 30 students
Dates: June 23 – August 1
Application Deadline: March 17
Eligibility: Current high school students with an interest in pursuing a health career who have limited financial or educational resources | U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents
UDOC blends online and in-person experiences to introduce you to a wide range of health careers. Over the course of three weeks virtual and three weeks on campus, you’ll learn about medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, therapy, and biomedical research. The program includes hands-on activities that let you try out different aspects of patient care and clinical science. Unique to UDOC is its focus on supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds, offering a full scholarship that covers all program costs and travel reimbursement. You’ll also receive mentorship from faculty and health professionals who can share their academic and career experiences.
9. Allen Institute Open Science Quest
Location: Allen Institute, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: None / $500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive / 18 students
Dates: 2 weeks in July
Application Deadline: June (tentative)
Eligibility: High school students from the Seattle area who have completed a biology course
This program introduces you to neuroscience, immunology, and cell biology through hands-on lab work at the Allen Institute. You’ll dissect a brain, run PCR experiments, analyze real vaccine data, explore microscope slides from the Allen Mouse Brain Atlas, and more. The program emphasizes learning how scientists generate and interpret data, giving you a direct view of how biomedical research advances. You’ll also discuss the ethical dimensions of tools like CRISPR while developing your ability to think critically about science in society. At the end, you’ll complete a scientific poster presentation to showcase a concept or technique learned during the program.
10. STEP – Students Exploring Pharmacy
Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Cost: $100 (scholarships available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive / Around 30 students
Dates: July 14 – 17
Application Deadline: April 30
Eligibility: 9th to 12th graders, but priority will be given to rising juniors and seniors
STEP is a four-day summer program for high school students where you’ll explore pharmacy as a healthcare profession through classes, labs, tours, and workshops led by UW faculty and current pharmacy students. You’ll learn about medication compounding, strategies for improving patient care, and the clinical skills pharmacists use in their daily work. Interactive sessions introduce you to different pharmacy specialties and show how pharmacists contribute to healthcare beyond dispensing medication. The program also includes discussions with practicing pharmacists, giving you insight into educational requirements and career paths in the field.
11. Institute for Systems Biology Summer Internship
Location: Virtual/in-person at the Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA
Stipend: $5,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive / 4–10 interns
Dates: June 30 – August 22
Application Deadline: March 14
Eligibility: Current 11th-grade students
This eight-week internship places you in a systems biology research environment where projects may focus on topics such as computational biology, microbiomes, cancer, or bioengineering. You’ll begin with foundational training before applying your skills to a research project aligned with ongoing ISB work. Depending on the project, you may use microbiology, engineering, or coding techniques while also practicing problem-solving in both group and independent settings. Beyond lab work, you’ll interview ISB staff across scientific and professional fields to explore a wide range of career paths. The program also includes a STEM Leadership component and a curriculum development project, where you help design instructional modules for schools.
12. Biomedical Research Internship for the Growth of High-school Trainees from Underrepresented Populations (BRIGHT-UP)
Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive / Approximately 20 students
Dates: 8 weeks from June to August
Application Deadline: Typically in March
Eligibility: First-generation students in grades 9 – 12 from educationally and economically under-resourced communities
BRIGHT-UP is an eight-week biomedical research internship that combines lab work, career development, and mentorship. It begins with orientation and training in laboratory techniques before you join a research group at UW, where you’ll contribute to a project using specialized methods. Weekly career development meetings and Pathways to Science panels expose you to professionals across different health and STEM fields. You’ll also attend lab open houses to see how disciplines such as biomedicine, public health, and data science intersect. At the end of the program, you’ll share your work at a closing symposium with peers and the UW community.
13. UW Nurse Camp
Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 16-25% / Around 36 students
Dates: July 14 – 18
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Washington state high school sophomores and juniors with an interest in nursing | At least 16 years old by the start of camp
UW Nurse Camp introduces you to nursing through hands-on training and shadowing experiences. You’ll spend time alongside nurses in hospital units, learning how they care for patients in fields such as public health, forensics, emergency medicine, and research. Training sessions cover CPR, HIPAA, infection control, and basic clinical skills like taking blood pressure and vitals. In simulation labs, you’ll practice procedures and get a sense of what nursing education looks like at the university level. The program also provides mentorship from nursing students and guidance on preparing for college and nursing school applications.
14. Na-ha-shnee STEAM Summer Program
Location: Washington State University, Spokane, WA
Cost/Stipend: None / Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective / Approximately 17 Native American and Alaska Native high school students attend each year
Dates: July 22 – 24
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students interested in health science careers
Na-ha-shnee is a three-day summer camp where you’ll explore health science careers through workshops, training, and cultural learning. Activities include CPR and first aid training, traditional medicine sessions, and leadership development guided by faculty, healthcare providers, and Native American elders. You’ll also engage with health sciences students, giving you the chance to learn directly from peers pursuing careers in nursing, pharmacy, and allied health. The program takes place on the WSU Spokane campus, so you’ll also get a glimpse of college life while exploring potential healthcare pathways. You will learn Hands-on scientific and laboratory skills, along with critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, cultural competency, and self-advocacy skills.
15. MultiCare Academy for Students in Healthcare (M.A.S.H.) Camp
Location: MultiCare facilities in Puget Sound, Spokane, and Yakima, WA
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 35-40% / 30-31 students
Dates: Four to five days in July
Application Deadline: Typically spring
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from Pierce, South King, Kitsap, and North Thurston counties
M.A.S.H. Camp offers you a multi-day look at how hospitals function, both in patient care and in non-clinical services. You’ll rotate through different areas such as emergency medicine, pediatric and adult surgical care, labor and delivery, oncology, and intensive care. You will learn clinical skills like taking vital signs, CPR, using defibrillators, and patient communication to build confidence and soft skills. Beyond clinical environments, you’ll also learn about technology systems, leadership, and administrative support that keep hospitals running. The program incorporates hands-on station activities, mock codes, and visits to local colleges, giving you exposure to real scenarios healthcare workers face.
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