Thinking about becoming a doctor? Before you throw yourself into the pre-med hamster wheel, you might want to find out if you actually like medicine. Many students charge into pre-med only to realize two years later that organic chemistry is their personal hell and patient care isn’t what they imagined.
So, before you waste time (and tuition), test the waters. High school is the perfect time to explore medicine through internships, research, volunteering, or shadowing. Below is a detailed list of 50+ programs that will help you decide if this path is genuinely for you.
What Medical Experiences Are Open to High School Students?
Summer is prime time for medical exposure. You can find internships, research projects, and hands-on hospital programs across the U.S. Some charge hefty fees, others pay stipends, and a few unicorns are completely free.
If you’d rather gain experience during the school year, volunteering or shadowing a doctor are equally valuable — and much cheaper. We’ll get to those later.
Categories of Opportunities
To make things simple, here’s how medical experiences generally break down:
- Medical Programs: Hands-on exposure to healthcare — shadowing doctors, learning basic clinical skills, or participating in medical simulations.
- Medical Research Programs: Work in labs or help collect data for real medical research.
- General Science Research Programs: Broader scientific experience that’s still relevant for pre-med students.
1. Medical Programs for High School Students
These programs give you the most realistic taste of clinical life. You’ll observe surgeries, meet physicians, and get a sense of what medical school and healthcare careers are actually like.
| Program | Host Institution | Location | Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School Senior Summer Internship | Cincinnati Children’s Hospital | Cincinnati, OH | Free, paid $13/hr | 8 weeks |
| Medical Immersion Summer Academy | Mentoring in Medicine & Science | Oakland, CA | $1,800 | 5 days |
| Medicine & Health Care Program | National Student Leadership Council | Various universities | $4,095–$4,395 | 9 days |
| Stanford Medical Youth Science Program | Stanford University | Stanford, CA | Free | 5 weeks |
| Summer Medical Academy | Rady Children’s Hospital + UC San Diego | San Diego, CA | $2,800 | 12 days |
| UPenn Summer Academies | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $9,949 | 3 weeks |
| AIM-High Osteopathic Program | NSU Florida | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $1,600 | 5 days |
| Mini-Med School | Tufts University | Boston, MA | $3,525–$6,750 | 1–2 weeks |
| Summer Immersion Program | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC | $3,400 | 6 days |
| Summer Surgery Program | UC Irvine | Orange, CA | $5,500 | 12 days |
2. Medical Research Programs
If you can’t get direct clinical exposure, lab-based medical research is the next best thing. You’ll learn how real biomedical discoveries are made — from cell culture to clinical trial data collection.
These programs look exceptional on applications, since every serious pre-med ends up doing lab work eventually.
| Program | Host Institution | Location | Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disease Detective Camp | CDC | Atlanta, GA | Free | 5 days |
| Child Health Research Internship | Children’s Hospital Colorado | Aurora, CO | Paid $4,400 | 8 weeks |
| Summer Research Program | Children’s Hospital Oakland | Oakland, CA | Paid $3,000–$4,300 | 9 weeks |
| Roberts Summer Student Academy | City of Hope Cancer Center | Duarte, CA | Free + stipend | 10 weeks |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center Internship | MD Anderson | Houston, TX | Paid $6,800 | 10 weeks |
| Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program | Stanford University | Stanford, CA | Free + stipend | 8 weeks |
| Helios Scholars Program | TGen | Phoenix, AZ | Paid hourly | 8 weeks |
| Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program | Bar Harbor, ME | Free + $6,500 stipend + housing | 10 weeks | |
| NIH Environmental Health Sciences Internship | NIH | Triangle Park, NC | Free + stipend | 8 weeks |
| Roswell Park Cancer Research Experience | Roswell Park Cancer Institute | Buffalo, NY | Free (need-based aid) | 7 weeks |
3. General Science Research Programs
If you can’t get into a strictly medical program, don’t panic. Broad science programs still give you excellent lab skills and scientific reasoning experience — both gold for pre-med students.
| Program | Host Institution | Location | Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspiring Scientists Internship | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA (remote available) | Free | 8 weeks |
| Research Science Institute | MIT | Cambridge, MA | Free | 6 weeks |
| Monell Science Apprenticeship | Monell Chemical Senses Center | Philadelphia, PA | Free | 7 weeks |
| Scripps High School Internship | Scripps Research Institute | La Jolla, CA | Paid $4,830 | 9 weeks |
| Simmons Summer Research | Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY | Free | 7 weeks |
| RISE Internship | Boston University | Boston, MA | $5,700 | 6 weeks |
| NASA Space Club Scholars | NASA | Greenbelt, MD | Free + $2,400 stipend | 6 weeks |
Pros and Cons of Medical Programs
Pros:
- Reality check: You’ll see what medicine is really like before committing years of your life and six figures of debt.
- College prep: Programs on real campuses show you what university life feels like.
- Strong college applications: Selective programs stand out on admissions essays.
- Networking: Meet mentors and peers who share your goals.
Cons:
- Cost: Some programs cost more than a used car. Always check if financial aid or stipends are available.
- Competition: Many are highly selective, especially those offering stipends.
- Limited clinical exposure: Some are mostly lab-based or lecture-heavy.
Other Paths: Volunteering and Doctor Shadowing
If you can’t join a formal program, you can still gain real experience — locally and for free.
Volunteering
Hospitals often take high school volunteers to assist with patient services, administration, or support roles. Expect to fill out health forms, commit to a schedule, and go through orientation.
Shadowing
This is more informal — you observe a doctor for a day or two. You’ll see how a physician interacts with patients and handles daily tasks. Shadowing isn’t a resume booster by itself unless you do it consistently, but it’s an excellent way to test your interest.
Pros and Cons of Volunteering or Shadowing
Pros:
- Completely free.
- Gives you firsthand insight into medical life.
- Flexible time commitment — from a few hours to a full summer.
- Looks authentic on college applications if you commit long-term.
Cons:
- Some roles are menial — you might be delivering flowers, not assisting surgeries.
- Short-term shadowing doesn’t count as an extracurricular.
Choosing the Right Medical Experience
Ask yourself three key questions before you commit:
- What’s your main interest?
- Love research? Go for lab programs.
- Want patient care? Shadow or volunteer.
- What’s your budget?
- Can’t pay? Target funded programs or volunteering.
- Need a job? Pick stipend-based internships.
- How much time can you give?
- Only a few days? Try shadowing.
- Want depth? Volunteer weekly or do an intensive summer program.
Always research programs carefully — not every “medical” program offers meaningful experience. Try contacting alumni or coordinators before signing up.
How Colleges View These Experiences
Admissions officers care less about what you did and more about how deeply you did it.
Shadowing for a weekend? Forgettable.
Volunteering weekly for six months? Impressive.
Winning a spot in a competitive medical research program? Exceptional.
Colleges reward genuine commitment and follow-through, not box-ticking.
Final Advice
Exploring medicine early gives you a massive advantage. Whether you end up loving it or realizing it’s not your calling, both outcomes save you time and stress later. And if you do love it, you’ll have real experience to back up your medical school ambitions — not just a line on a college essay.
For more guides like this, check out Biolympiads’ resources on pre-med preparation, BS/MD programs, and medical research opportunities for students serious about science.
