Summer is a great time for high school students in Washington to explore their interests in the medical field. Whether you're passionate about pursuing a career in healthcare or simply curious about what it's like to work in a medical environment, participating in a summer medical program can provide invaluable experience and insights. 

From hands-on clinical practice to shadowing professionals, these programs are designed to help you gain practical knowledge, develop new skills, and build a strong foundation for future studies in medicine. 

In this blog, we'll highlight 7 summer medical programs available to high school students across Washington!

1. Lumiere Research Program—Medicine Track

Location: Virtual

Cost: Individual Research Program ($2,990), Premium Research & Publication Program ($5,900), the Research Fellowship ($8,900), Professor Premium Publication Program ($8,900)

Application Deadline:  Varying deadlines based on cohort.

Program Dates: Individual Research (12 weeks) | Premium Research (16-20 weeks) | Research Fellowship (6-12 months) | Professor Premium (16-20 weeks)

Eligibility: Open to students anywhere in the world

The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. 

The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose the program’s medicine track or explore biology, chemistry, and neuroscience. You can find more details about the application here.

2. Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Research Training Program for High School Students

Location: Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA

Cost: Free, stipend provided

Application deadline: March 10

Program dates: July 8 – August 2

Eligibility: 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students who live or have housing within a two-hour commute of downtown Seattle. Preference will be given to students who have not participated in a research program before

The Research Training Program is a specialized initiative led by PhD-level scientists for high school students interested in deepening their understanding of biomedical research. The Research Training Program is geared towards students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in the biomedical and health sciences, offering them an opportunity to advance their knowledge and skills in this field.

This program offers a research laboratory experience where you can explore topics like biochemistry, immunotherapy, gene editing, and infectious diseases. You will have the chance to attend lectures on immunology and public health, and you will work on research projects in groups. The program also includes workshops focused on college readiness and career development. 

3. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)

Location: Virtual 

Application Date: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer and Fall cohorts. 

Program Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September).

Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.

Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, and more! Horizon is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers you the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research. 

Once you select a particular subject track, Horizon pairs you with a professor/PhD scholar who acts as a mentor throughout your research journey. As a participant, you will be expected to develop a 20-page research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student. 

The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects. 

If you’re interested in medicine, you can choose the courses in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Protein Biophysics, Gene Editing and CRISPR Technology, Neuroscience, and Medical Sociology. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student, as well as detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects. Apply here!

4. Providence Regional Medical Center Everett’s High School Summer Program

Location: Providence Regional Medical Center, Everett, WA

Cost: Free

Application deadline: April 15

Program dates: June 26 – August 30

Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors

The High School Summer Volunteer Program is an enriching opportunity for students interested in healthcare and community service. This 10-week program requires 100 hours of volunteer service in a hospital setting, giving you firsthand experience in a healthcare environment. Additionally, you will dedicate one week to serving at Camp Prov, a day camp in Everett designed for children with special needs. This program not only provides valuable exposure to the healthcare field but also allows you to make a meaningful impact on the lives of others.

5. UDOC Program at UW Medicine

Location: Hybrid (Virtual and in-person at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA)

Cost: No cost

Application Deadline: February 28

Dates: TBA. The past dates were July 1 – August 9 (First three weeks virtual and the next three weeks in-person)

Eligibility: Rising seniors attending high school in Washington state who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or have DACA status and are underrepresented in healthcare 

UDOC is a six-week educational summer program designed to encourage and support high school students interested in pursuing careers in health sciences. The program helps you explore health professions including medicine, dentistry, public health, pharmacy, nursing, and more. You will receive mentorship and training in key skills like research and communications. 

6. 'Doctor for a Day’ at UW Medicine

Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA 

Stipend: No information available

Application Deadline: Varies based on the program

Dates: The program runs from October to May with different departments running events on different dates. You can view the past schedule here.

Eligibility: Middle and high school students of color in the greater Seattle area

Doctor for a Day aims to inspire and encourage middle and high school students of color to explore careers in medicine and healthcare. Led by medical students from the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, the program offers hands-on activities such as learning physical exam techniques, suturing, and patient interviewing skills. 

Through mentorship and interactive learning, Doctor for a Day seeks to increase the diversity of students who pursue careers in healthcare. The program offers multiple sessions throughout the year, including the summer. Check their website regularly to find upcoming events. 

7. COPE Junior Health Scholar

Location: Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA

Cost:

• 3 month program: $595 (+ $21 application fee)

• 6 month program: $475 (+ $21 application fee)

• 9 month program: $325 (+ $21 application fee)

Application Deadline: July 10

Dates: Training dates August 10 & 17, program starts in September

Eligibility: Hhigh school students age 16-18

The Junior Health Scholar program offers high school students an opportunity to explore a career in healthcare by shadowing professionals in patient care settings. This program is available year-round and allows students to observe how care teams work together and gain hands-on experience in basic patient care. Students will either work alongside a current Health Scholar or independently, depending on the site's requirements.

Though not a traditional summer program, the Seattle program begins training in the summer and continues throughout the fall semester. With flexible program durations of 3, 6, or 9 months, you can choose how many shifts you want to do per week. You will also have the chance to develop mentoring relationships with the healthcare providers you are shadowing. 

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.