10 Pediatric Internships for High School Students
If you're a high school student passionate about pediatric science and health, internships can provide you with solid experiences and boost your resume and college applications. These opportunities offer hands-on exposure, helping you understand the pediatric field, develop crucial skills, and make informed career decisions. Internships also allow you to network with professionals, gain mentorship, and participate in impactful research or clinical activities.
Here are 10 pediatric internships for high school students to consider.
The High School Summer Internship Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is an eight-week paid internship for graduating high school seniors in the Cincinnati area. Participants work 20 hours per week with a mentor in various pediatric specialties. This program is ideal for motivated students interested in pursuing higher education in biomedical sciences.
Interns will shadow their mentors and engage in clinical or research projects. The program includes group activities such as hands-on training with simulated pediatric patients, community service, and lunch seminars with speakers from various specialties. The internship culminates with students presenting their experiences at a graduation celebration.
Location: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
Stipend: $13 per hour
Program Dates: 8 weeks following orientation day on June 3, 2025
Eligibility: High school seniors resident in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
Application Deadline: February 1, 2025. Applications will open in early November 2024.
The University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and the Colorado Child Health Research Institute offer a summer research program for high school seniors, college students, graduate students, and first-year medical students. Participants work in labs with Pediatrics faculty, gaining hands-on experience in child health research.
The program includes a weekly research lecture series and culminates with students presenting their research findings. At the end of the internship, you will provide both written and oral/poster summaries of your work. The program encourages you to submit abstracts to local, regional, and national scientific meetings. If your abstract is accepted for presentation, the program will provide funding for you to attend one scientific meeting.
Location: Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
Stipend: $3,500
Program Dates: June 3 – August 2, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: High school seniors who are over the age of 18 by the start date and Colorado residents
Application Deadline: 2025 applications will open in December 2024.
Weill Cornell Medicine offers a full-time summer internship in the Department of Pediatrics for high school, college, and graduate students. This program aims to expose you to pediatric medicine and career opportunities in medicine and research. You can choose to do either the 6-week or the 10-week program. Interns receive mentorship from faculty and staff tailored to their interests, and access to necessary resources.
12 Pediatrics Medicine programs accept interns annually. These include Brain Development in Children Born Preterm, Neonatal Virus Infections, Pediatric Epilepsy Research, Chronic Kidney Disease in Children Research Program, to name a few. Internships are available in a range of categories, such as research, clinical, administration, and patient education.
Location: Weill Cornell Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, New York, NY
Stipend: A modest stipend is offered at the completion of the internship. Housing, food, and transportation expenses are not covered.
Program Dates: June 3 - August 9, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program). The internship offers two options: a 6-week program or a 10-week program.
Eligibility: Current high school juniors/seniors
Application Deadline: January 10, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program). 2025 applications will open in December 2024.
The Pediatrics Internship Program at Stanford (PIPS) is a 6-week summer program for rising high school juniors and seniors from Northern California, focused on science, medicine, and research careers. PIPS accepts around 40 students each year. You will spend approximately 30 hours per week on the program.
During the internship, you will spend most of your time on research projects in maternal and child health, mentored by Stanford faculty and their research teams. You will also participate in interactive workshops covering research methodologies, career paths in science and medicine, and leadership development. Additional workshops focus on college application preparation, including creating college lists, completing applications, and navigating financial aid.
PIPS has a unique mentorship program, where students are paired with Stanford undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, as well as residents and fellows, meeting weekly to discuss progress, interests, and career goals. Read more about the program experience here!
Location: Stanford University, CA. The option of remote work is offered pending Stanford University's approval.
Cost / Stipend: No cost! Stipends of $3,000 are given to students on a need-based basis. There is a nonrefundable $50 application fee which can be waived for families earning less than $90,000.
Program Dates: June 17 – July 26, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who live in Northern California and are 16 years or older by the start date
Application Deadline: February of each year. Join the mailing list to get a notification when the 2025 application opens.
Nicklaus Children's Hospital and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) offer a summer internship program for rising 10th through 12th graders enrolled in a M-DCPS. This 5-week experience gives students valuable hands-on experience and insights into a career in pediatric science.
To apply, you have to complete a pre-internship course online. As an intern, you will receive oversight from both an instructional and a workplace supervisor. The internship requires a minimum commitment of 30 hours per week and offers academic credit, depending on successful evaluations and completion of academic tasks.
Location: Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, FL
Stipend: $1,500
Program Dates: July 1 – August 5, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: Rising 10th through 12th grade students between the ages of 15-18 enrolled in a Miami-Dade County Public School.
Application Deadline: 2025 applications will open in early 2025.
The Texas Children’s Summer Junior Program is an opportunity for high school students aged 15-17 to volunteer at one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country. This program offers junior volunteers the chance to assist patients, families, and staff through hands-on experiences during the summer. You will be given four distinct assignments and work two 3-hour shifts each day, with a one-hour lunch break. Check out this video to learn more about the program!
Location: Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX
Cost / Stipend: None
Program Dates: June 10 – July 18, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: High school students 15-17 years old
Application Deadline: February of each year
The VolunTEEN Program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta provides Atlanta teens, aged 15 to 18, with an opportunity to explore healthcare careers and give back to their community. This summer program is ideal for high school students seeking a meaningful way to spend part of their break while gaining insights into the healthcare field.
You will assist staff at front desks and patient units, play games, and interact with patients and families. The program runs for eight weeks in June and July, requiring you to volunteer at least one day a week for three hours. You will have to complete a mandatory training before you begin the program. Participants can volunteer at one of the hospital’s three locations in Atlanta.
Location: Children's at Egleston, Children's at Hughes Spalding, or Children's at Scottish Rite, Atlanta, GA
Cost / Stipend: None
Program Dates: 8 weeks during June and July
Eligibility: High school students aged 15-18 years
Application Deadline: 2025 applications will open in early February 2025.
Job Shadowing (observership) at Nationwide Children's Hospital offers unpaid opportunities for high school students to explore healthcare career options and understand the skills necessary for specific medical roles. Students observe the workplace environment and the duties of the healthcare professionals they shadow but are not allowed to perform any work, including patient care. Typically, the shadowing experience lasts from half a day to two days due to the high demand from students.
Students aged 14 or older can shadow in outpatient clinics and office settings, while students aged 16 or older may shadow in certain inpatient areas. Your high school must have an affiliation agreement with the hospital, and your school has to apply for you. Students can contact the hospital to check if their high school has an agreement.
Location: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH
Cost / Stipend: None
Program Dates: Varies depending on availability
Eligibility: Students must be at least 14 years old and currently enrolled in high school
Application Deadline: Rolling. Apply at least 4 weeks before the requested observation date
The 8-week High School Research Immersion Program offers rising seniors in the Memphis-Shelby County area the chance to participate in mentored research projects at St. Jude in the laboratory, psychology, epidemiology, clinical, or data science fields. The program aims to provide students with valuable research experience and mentorship in pediatric science and health.
Participants are expected to work 40 hours per week. You will work in pairs with research mentors to conduct projects. You will also work with science educators to reflect on the nature of science and your role as a scientist. You’ll develop a personal statement for college applications, highlighting how the program has shaped your self-perception as a scientist. At the end of the program, you’ll present your research through a scientific poster.
Location: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
Stipend: $4,800
Program Dates: June 2 – July 25, 2025
Eligibility: Be 16 years or older, a current junior at a high school in the Memphis-Shelby County area, and have a cumulative high school GPA of at least 3.0
Application Deadline: Applications will open in October.
This three-week pediatric and neonatology summer program offers high school teens interested in pre-med a unique glimpse into the life of a pediatrician. Participants learn to assess newborn vital signs, explore common childhood diseases like measles and mumps, identify neurological disorders, and understand the differences between pediatric medicine and neonatology.
This fast-paced, hands-on program provides insight into childhood diseases, contagion, bloodwork, and mental disorders, along with their diagnoses and treatments. Activities include infant CPR and AED training on baby mannequins, patient care practice on infant simulators, and the opportunity to simulate delivering a baby using a birthing simulator.
Location: Bentley University and Gann Academy, Waltham, MA
Cost: Need-based scholarships are available.
Three-Week Tuition: $2,200
Three-Week Residential Fee: $2,097
Program Dates: July 1 – July 19, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: High school students entering grades 8-12
Application Deadline: Rolling applications
One other option - the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you would like to participate in a rigorous research program open to high schoolers, you should also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.