12 Medical Internships For High School Students In Texas
If you’re a high schooler in Texas interested in medicine, this list of internships is for you! Internships can be an incredible way to spend your summer break exploring a field you’re interested in, learning a new skill, and building a professional network.
These programs can serve as great learning opportunities while providing you with the industry exposure you need before medical college. From engaging in hands-on projects to conducting research under expert guidance—medical internships can help you learn about the ins and outs of a career in medicine in a realistic yet controlled, risk-free professional environment.
To help you find a medical internship in Texas, we’ve curated a list of the 12 best ones for high school students you can consider. Let’s dive in!
Location: Virtual.
Dates: Multiple dates throughout the year. The next cohort starts June 3, 2024.
Cost: Starting at $1,990. Financial aid is available.
Application deadline: Summer cohort (Priority Admission): March 17, 2024 | Summer cohort (Regular Admission 1): April 14, 2024 | Summer cohort (Regular Admission 2): May 12, 2024.
Eligibility: Open to all high school students who can work for 5-10 hours/week, for 8 weeks. These internships are also open to undergraduates and gap-year students!
Ladder Internships, a selective program founded and run by Harvard alumni, connects high school students with startups and nonprofits worldwide for virtual internships. You can choose from various fields, including technology, health tech, healthcare, medicine, machine learning, AI, computer science, finance, environmental science, sustainability, business, marketing, media, journalism, and more. As an intern, you will work on meaningful projects contributing to the startup or nonprofit’s mission and present your work at the program's end. The internship includes one-on-one training in communication and time management, along with group sessions with fellow interns. You will be paired with a manager at the startup and a Ladder coach, who serves as a second mentor.
Students interested in medicine can choose the medicine and healthcare track on their application form. Some relevant host startups include Softenmind, IPMD, and JuneBrain.
2. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Summer Program
Location: Houston, TX.
Dates: June 3, 2024 - August 9, 2024.
Cost/Stipend: No costs. Interns will receive a stipend of $6,800 ($6,120 if participating for 9 weeks instead of 10).
Application deadline: Applications typically close in January.
Eligibility: Current Texas high school seniors age 18+ by the start of the program.
This is a 10-week internship program exclusively for high school med enthusiasts in Texas. As an intern, you will get the opportunity to contribute to research in any of the biomedical disciplines you choose—all under the mentorship of expert MD Anderson faculty. You will work five days a week in an MD Anderson lab doing hands-on work to gain experience as a biomedical researcher and gain a deeper knowledge of the discipline itself. Along with that, you will also take part in seminars and other activities from time to time. At the end of your internship, you will get to showcase your experience.
This program aims to train med students and increase their awareness and confidence in careers in allied health professions. However, it only accepts 10 students.
3. Houston Methodist Summer Internship Program for High Schoolers
Location: Houston, TX.
Dates: May 28 - August 2, 2024.
Cost/Stipend: No cost or stipend.
Application deadline: February 2, 2024.
Eligibility: High school students currently completing their junior or senior year and be 16+ years of age by the start of the program.
This program allows high schoolers to work and learn in an advanced, college-level academic setting. It only selects a handful of students with proven academic excellence and a strong interest in research and medicine. If selected, you will get to work in a translational research lab and gain hands-on experience via different projects under the tutelage of a mentor. This will help you learn essential laboratory techniques. You will also receive professional development in skills like scientific writing for your college applications. At the end of the program, you will showcase your research project to Houston Methodist’s scientists, students, and staff.
To apply, you will need to submit a completed MERLIN application, along with two essays, LORs, a transcript, and a resume.
4. Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS): Virtual Experience
Location: Virtual.
Dates: July-August (5 weeks).
Stipend: $500.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close by March 1 every year.
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors from underrepresented populations anywhere in the United States can participate in the 5-week virtual summer research experience.
The John Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS) is an esteemed internship opportunity for high schoolers interested in neurological sciences. It is conducted both in-person and virtually and is particularly for students from underrepresented communities.
As part of the five-week virtual internship, you will participate in activities like educational presentations, basic laboratory experiments and techniques, mentorship training, professional development training, and networking with professionals in the healthcare industry. You will engage in collaborative projects and discussions and present your work in final presentations at the end of the program. All in-person interns will receive a stipend of $500 upon successfully completing the program.
5. University of Houston MohanLab Summer Internship
Location: Houston, TX.
Dates: June 3 - July 26, 2024.
Cost/Stipend: No cost. There’s no information about the stipend.
Application deadline: Applications typically close in March.
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors.
This internship program is for high schoolers with strong academic records and an interest in pursuing medicine or health-oriented professions as a career. It is conducted in two phases. First, you will participate in 1-2 weeks of orientation and training in basic lab techniques. Once finished, you will partake in an 8-week-long research under the guidance of a scientist/graduate. You will also get the opportunity to present your research findings at the MohanLab joint lab meeting and may also get a chance to get it published.
Even after the successful competition of the program, you can engage in research activities in the lab for manuscript writing/data analysis. However, the program does not offer any funding/boarding arrangements.
6. Stanford University’s SHTEM Summer Internships
Location: Virtual.
Internship dates: June 17, 2024 - August 9, 2024.
Cost/Stipend: No cost. A stipend may be provided depending on the intern’s financial need.
Application deadline: Applications typically close in March.
Eligibility: Applicants must be:
- Current high school juniors/seniors who are 14 years old by June 17, OR
- Full-time CC students between the ages of 17-21 by June 17.
This 8-week-long virtual summer internship opportunity is designed for high school and community college (CC) students looking to explore different medicine subjects virtually. As an intern, you will be exposed to cutting-edge research within an academic environment and will receive an introduction to other research topics in this discipline. You can choose to work on topics like biology, psychology, neuroscience, etc., under the mentorship of experts at Stanford University. At the end of the program, you will present your research findings to the mentors.
7. Anson L. Clark Scholars Program
Location: Lubbock, TX.
Dates: June 16 - August 1, 2024.
Cost/Stipend: No cost. Students will receive a stipend of $750 upon successful completion of the program.
Application deadline: February 15, 2024.
Eligibility: Applicants must be 17 years old by the start of the program and a US citizen/permanent resident
Offered by Texas Tech University, the Anson L. Clark Scholars Program is a selective 7-week internship opportunity. Here, you will work on multiple hands-on projects in a research-intensive setting at the campus and the Health Science Center under the mentorship of expert faculty. Their common fields of research include various medicine-related disciplines like nutritional sciences, biology, microbiology, and neurobiology, along with others. You will also participate in weekly seminars, social activities, and field trips. At the end of the program, you will gain several practical and soft skills, along with a stipend of $750.
To apply for this program, you need to fill up their online application and submit other documents like high school transcripts, college admission test scores, and LORs. The program only selects 12 students.
8. Texas Medical Center (TMC) Summer Research Internship Program
Location: Houston, TX.
Dates: NA.
Cost/Stipend: No costs are involved. Students will receive a stipend (amount is not specified).
Application deadline: December 1, 2024.
Eligibility: High school students interested in healthcare
The TMC Summer Research Internship Program is another great opportunity for high schoolers keen on careers in medicine. In this 10-week program, you will engage in intensive lab research at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. Internships are available in all disciplines, including art, biology, chemistry, pre-med, pre-vet, psychology, and more. Previous interns have had the opportunity to get placed at institutions like the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, etc. You will also get the chance to receive one-on-one mentorship and participate in seminars that mainly foster community-building.
Location: Virtual.
Dates: June 17, 2024 - June 28, 2024.
Cost/Stipend: No cost/stipend.
Application deadline: Applications typically close in March.
Eligibility: US high school students who are 14 years or older with strong maths and/or computer programming skills and/or experience with a healthcare project.
This internship opportunity is offered by Stanford University. It’s a 2-week-long virtual program that is targeted at students interested in the application of AI in medicine. It consists of lectures on AI in the healthcare domain, hands-on group research activities, social activities, mentoring, and guest lectures by industry specialists. You can also extend your internship tenure. At the end of it, you will receive a certificate of completion.
While the program is free of cost, you must note that there is also no stipend available for participating students.
10. Eve And Gene Black Summer Medical Career Program
Location: Virtual.
Dates: July 8 - 18, 2024 (session 1) | July 22, 2024 - August 1, 2024 (session 2).
Stipend: This is an unpaid internship, but one $500 scholarship will be awarded.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in February.
Eligibility: High school students currently in grades 11 and 12 can apply.
This summer program has been running since 1969. There are two virtual sessions that students can choose from. The program pairs students with mentors like general pediatricians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, ophthalmologists, radiologists, therapists, dietitians, and more.
As an intern, you will also get to discuss projects and present your work at the end of the program. Additionally, there might be some in-person shadowing and meeting opportunities for students, so make sure you take note of them before applying so that you can make the necessary arrangements. You can check out the past program highlights here.
Location: Virtual.
Dates: July 15 - 26, 2024 (2 weeks).
Stipend: Paid (amount not specified).
Application Deadline: April 14, 2024.
Eligibility: High school students or rising college freshmen at least 16 years of age and residing in Massachusetts.
Zon Lab, in the Boston Children’s Hospital, works on the research and development of therapies for blood disorders and cancer. Their initiative, Camp Zon is a research experience that offers students the chance to learn about cancer biology and blood development, with an emphasis on using zebrafish as an organism to conduct a research project on anemia.
You will work on a hypothesis, designing experiments, and analyzing data. Scientists in the lab will then perform these experiments live for students watching online. Students will then present their data at the end. Additionally, you will attend lectures, learn basic coding, and critically read and understand scientific literature. You will also receive career advice from expert scientists of Zon Lab in a mentoring session and career panel Q&A. You can check the sample schedule here.
12. Medicine Encompassed (ME) Student Internships
Location: Virtual.
Internship dates: Open year-round.
Cost/Stipend: No cost/stipend.
Application deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Eligibility: High school students from all around the world enrolled in grades 9-12.
Medicine Encompassed (ME) is a student-led nonprofit that seeks applications from high school students interested in medicine careers across the globe. With over 18 committees, all intern positions contribute to their inclusive medical curriculum, their Project Cultivation outreach initiative, and other committee-specific initiatives. You can apply for the role of a writer, editor, or resource creator. Your primary role as an intern would be to conduct research around medical topics and write, edit, or curate educational content. Moreover, you can also contribute to their Project Cultivation outreach initiative. You will be accredited for your contributions to the educational materials you created throughout your term as an intern.
Looking for an immersive internship experience?
Check out Ladder Internships!
Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program where students work with startups and nonprofits from around the world! The startups range across a variety of industries, with a large number of them in tech. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship. Apply now!
Stephen is one of the founders of Ladder Internships and a Harvard College graduate.