Outset Medical Program for High School Students—Is It Legit?
The field of medicine is one of the most valuable yet most competitive to pursue. Participating in pre-college medical programs during high school can give you hands-on experience and exposure to the healthcare field, showing admissions officers that you're committed to pursuing medicine or healthcare.
Gaining real-world experience early can set you apart from other college applicants and help you develop skills that will be useful in medical school and beyond. If you're considering a career in healthcare, these programs can also help you explore different specialties and decide which path suits you best.
Our blog today offers an in-depth look at the Outset Medical Program and whether or not it’s worthwhile for you to participate in it.
What is the Outset Medical Program?
The Outset Medical Program is a 1-week career exploration program for high school students interested in exploring healthcare and the pre-med path. Outset aims to provide you with practical experience and insight into what it’s like to work in the medical field. You’ll learn directly from healthcare professionals in real medical settings, giving you the chance to see if medicine is the right path for you.
Outset allows you to specialize your experience to what interests you the most across several subfields of medicine: family medicine, pediatrics, cardiology, general surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, anesthesiology, OBGYN, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, physician’s assistants, physical therapy, or global health summer. The program features small batch sizes and interactions with doctors and medical staff, providing mentorship and networking opportunities.
The program is offered at multiple universities. For Summer 2025, the options include the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt University, University of Virginia, Yale University, Columbia University, Florida State University, Stanford University, University of California–Los Angeles, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Michigan.
How is the program structured?
The Outset Medical Program is divided into tracks. Each track provides its own specialized experiences, including hands-on experience in clinical settings, a chance to observe real medical procedures, interact with patients, and closely understand many aspects of a career in medicine. Below, we’ll explore three tracks in more depth:
The Primary Care track focuses on general healthcare. It’s perfect if you want to explore various fields of medicine. You'll learn about patient care, routine check-ups, and common health issues doctors address daily. You’ll also have the opportunity to work with doctors in real clinical settings, attend patient consultations, and assist with non-invasive medical procedures. The goal is to provide a broad understanding of what primary care entails. Mentorship is provided by experienced primary care doctors, and you can expect to spend your days shadowing doctors, observing patient interactions, and completing reports on your observations.
The Pediatrics track is a great opportunity if you’re interested in child healthcare. In this track, you’ll observe how doctors diagnose and treat childhood illnesses, manage long-term care for young patients, and work with parents and families. The focus is on understanding the unique challenges of treating younger patients. You’ll get to shadow pediatricians, participate in consultations, and contribute to discussions about case studies. Mentorship is provided by practicing pediatricians, and you’ll spend a lot of time observing patient care.
The Surgery track offers insights into the high-stakes world of surgery. In this track, you’ll observe surgical procedures and learn about pre- and post-operative care. The program teaches about different types of surgeries, the responsibilities of surgical teams, and how surgeons make critical decisions in the operating room. You'll shadow surgeons, observe surgeries, and help prepare reports on surgical procedures. The mentors in this track are experienced surgeons who provide guidance and insights into the surgical profession. You’ll spend most of your day in operating rooms and preparing written reports based on your observations.
Each year Outset runs multiple sessions that you can choose to apply for. For summer 2025, the following are the available sessions:
Session 1: June 8 – 13, 2025
Session 2: June 15 – 20, 2025
Session 3: June 22 – 27, 2025
Session 4 June 29 – July 4, 2025
Session 5: July 6 – 11, 2025
Session 6: July 13 – 18, 2025
Session 7: July 20 – 25, 2025
You can apply for multiple tracks if you choose!
Is it prestigious?
The Outset Medical Program does not provide information about acceptance rate or cohort size on their website. The entry criteria are minimal, taking away from its prestige. You do not need a resume or a transcript to apply. The program releases admission results within 2 days of application, implying that the review process is not as thorough as programs for which you have to apply months in advance. The high price tag of nearly $3,000 for one week also suggests the program is less prestigious than fully funded opportunities. The the main draw of this program is exposure to real medical environments and the opportunity to work closely with healthcare professionals. Overall, we would rate this program as not very prestigious.
Who is eligible to apply and how does the application process work?
To apply for the Outset Medical Program, you simply need to be:
A current high school student in grades 9-12
14-18 years old
With respect to the application process, the steps involved are as follows:
Submit an online application through the Outset website.
Submit one or two references from a teacher.
Attend a 15 minute interview if selected for the final round.
How much does it cost?
The all-inclusive cost of the program is $2,825 for each one-week session. The program offers some financial aid.
Pros and Cons of the Outset Medical Program
Pros
1. Hands-on experience in real medical settings: You’ll shadow doctors and surgeons, getting first hand exposure to what working in healthcare is really like.
2. Specialized tracks: The program allows you to explore different medical fields based on your interests.
3. Good mentorship opportunities: You’ll work closely with experienced professionals who provide guidance and insights into the medical field.
Cons
1. High cost: The program is expensive at $2,825 for only a week’s session, which may be a barrier for some.
2. Extremely short duration: Since the program only runs for a week, the learning you can extract from it is quite limited.
Is it legit?
In conclusion, the Outset Medical Program offers an introduction to medicine and healthcare for interested high school students. While it’s somewhat expensive and not highly prestigious, the small batch sizes and high exposure of the program make it a learning experience to begin your pre-med journey.
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.
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