29 Hospital Volunteer & Shadowing Programs for High School Students
TL;DR:
You'll find 29 placements here that put you inside working hospitals and health systems rather than research labs, spanning observation-based shadowing and patient-facing volunteer roles. Age minimums start at 14, younger than most medical research internships accept, and only three of the options listed are paid. Selection usually weighs availability and reliability over grades, so these are lower-barrier to enter than competitive summer programs. Many are restricted by county, state, or a named partner high school, so read the eligibility line before you look at the dates. If you want clinical exposure alongside work that produces a finished paper, Lumiere Education runs research mentorship that pairs with these rather than replacing them.
If you want direct, patient-facing exposure to a hospital environment rather than a lab research placement, these 29 programs place you inside real hospitals and health systems across the country. Most are open to younger students than research internships typically allow; several start as young as 14, and many are lower-barrier to enter since selection often weighs interest and reliability over grades or prior experience.
How to shadow a doctor in high school
Most high school shadowing gets arranged one of two ways: through a hospital's formal observation office, or through a physician who already knows you or your family. The formal route is slower but far more reliable, since hospitals that accept observers have a structured program.
Check what your school has already set up: Several of the programs listed here are not open to individual applicants. Nationwide Children's coordinates shadowing requests through your school rather than with students directly, Bronson Healthcare accepts only students enrolled with one of four named CTE partners, and UK CHIP is limited to four Lexington-area high schools. Ask your counselor which hospital relationships already exist before you start emailing.
Contact the volunteer or observation office first: These offices handle background checks, immunization records, and the confidentiality paperwork that has to clear before any clinician can host you. A doctor who wants to say yes still cannot until that clears.
Reach out early: The AAMC's guidance for aspiring doctors recommends calling or emailing at least a few weeks before you hope to start, and naming the dates you are available. Specificity makes it easy to say yes.
What is the difference between shadowing and volunteering at a hospital?
| Shadowing | Volunteering |
What you do | Observe a clinician during patient care | Non-clinical support: information desk, patient escort, discharge lounge, gift shop |
What you take away | A closer view of the work itself | Recorded service hours and a supervisor who can speak to your reliability |
Typical length | Days. Nationwide Children's runs half-day to two-day sessions | Weeks to a full school year. Island Health's Step Up runs October through April |
Minimum age | Usually 16 | Often 14 or 15. |
How selective | Tighter. Often capped by department and requires a school affiliation agreement | Looser. Weighs availability and reliability over grades or prior experience |
How you get in | Through a hospital's observation office, or a physician you already know | Direct application to volunteer services |
What age can you start shadowing at a hospital?
Sixteen is the standard minimum for clinical observation, while hospital volunteer roles sometimes open at 14 or 15. Of the 29 programs on this list, the youngest accept students at 14.
Sixteen is the common floor: Mayo Clinic's MedEx shadowing program accepts juniors and seniors from 16, Jersey City Medical Center sets 16 as its minimum, and USA Health's teen volunteer program does the same across all three of its hospitals. Volunteer roles that place you in non-clinical support tend to open earlier than programs that put you beside a clinician during patient care
Volunteer roles start earlier: Cooper University Health Care accepts volunteers from 14, the Fargo VA sets its minimum at 14, and UnityPoint Health's St. Luke's in Sioux City accepts students as young as 14 or in 7th grade.
Check other requirements too: Thomas Hospital's junior volunteer program sets a 3.0 GPA minimum, the Seacole Scholars Program requires a CNA license before you apply, and a large share of the programs here restrict applicants by county, state, or partner school. Check those before you check the age line.
Does hospital shadowing help your college application?
Yes, though it’s best to pair it with more medical experience and extracurriculars.
It gives you clinical experience: Shadowing gives you an idea of how hospitals work and what actual clinical work looks like. A student writing about medicine who has never been inside a clinical setting reads differently from one who has.
Pair it with other activities to show depth: The AAMC notes that in its survey of medical school admissions officers, 87% said they would accept an alternate activity in place of clinical shadowing. It’s best to pair clinical shadowing with medical internships, medical summer programs, and medical research to demonstrate sustained interest.
Focus on the output: Programs that lead to an output, such as a paper, a report, or a project, give admissions officers something concrete to evaluate. Our admissions report found that Lumiere students were 4x more likely to be admitted to top universities, with 97% of them mentioning the program and research paper in their application.
How we selected these programs
We assessed every program on this list against four criteria.
Level of access: Whether you observe clinical care, support patients directly, or work in non-clinical service roles, since these differ sharply in what you take away.
Clarity of eligibility:Whether age, residency, GPA, licensing, and partner-school requirements are stated publicly, rather than surfacing only after you apply.
Stated commitment and cost: The hours required, the length of the placement, and whether the role is paid, unpaid, or carries a fee. Only three of the 29 programs here are paid.
Verifiable current operation: Confirmation from the hospital's own pages that the program is running, since teen volunteer programs are frequently paused or restructured.
Section | Top programs | Cost | Best for |
Shadowing & clinical observation | Nationwide Children's Job Shadowing, Mayo Clinic MedEx, Stanford CSI, Mount Sinai CEYE | Free – paid tuition (Stanford CSI charges tuition + a $75 application fee) | Students who want to observe clinicians directly, usually with a 16+ age floor and a school or prior-volunteer prerequisite |
Summer volunteer programs | Cooper University Health Care, St. David's Medical Center, Texas Children's Summer Junior Program, Arkansas Children's Hospital | Unpaid (most charge nothing) | Students who want a defined summer commitment (several weeks, set shifts) rather than a year-long role |
Year-round & school-year volunteer programs | Island Health Step Up, UK CHIP, Parkview FutureREADY, Bronson Methodist Hospital | Unpaid | Students who want a sustained, ongoing relationship with one hospital system rather than a single summer |
Paid programs | Seacole Scholars Program, Children's Minnesota Summer Equity Internship, Iowa Specialty Hospitals Summer Intern Program | Paid (only 3 of 29 programs are paid) | Students specifically prioritizing compensation, though these carry extra requirements like a CNA license or a longer commitment |
Hospital Volunteer & Shadowing Programs
From structured, multi-week summer cohorts to year-round rolling volunteer roles, these programs get you in front of patients and clinical staff. Eligibility, time commitment, and cost vary widely, so check each entry's specifics closely.
Location: Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid (volunteer).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: June–September window.
Application deadline: Check the current cycle for exact dates.
Eligibility: Ages 14–17.
A hospital volunteer program (not a research placement) giving younger high schoolers general exposure to a hospital environment through non-clinical support roles.
Who it's best for: A younger student (14–15) who isn't yet eligible for most research internships and wants entry-level hospital exposure instead.
Location: Jersey City Medical Center (RWJBarnabas Health), Jersey City, NJ
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid (volunteer).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Summer-only track available; year-round for other tracks.
Application deadline: April 1 for the summer-only track.
Eligibility: Age 16+; 50-hour minimum commitment.
A hospital volunteer program requiring a 50-hour minimum commitment, with a dedicated summer-only track for students who can't commit year-round.
Who it's best for: A New Jersey student wanting general hospital exposure on a defined, relatively short (50-hour) commitment.
Location: Mayo Clinic Health System, Austin, MN
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid (volunteer).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Flexible, ongoing.
Application deadline: Rolling.
Eligibility: Open to "all ages", not exclusively high-school branded.
A general hospital-auxiliary volunteer program (dating to 1908) at a Mayo Clinic Health System facility distinct from the larger Rochester campus, roles include gift shop, coffee shop, and comfort-item support rather than clinical exposure.
Who it's best for: A southern-Minnesota student wanting light, flexible volunteer hours rather than a structured clinical or research placement.
Location: Mayo Clinic Health System (multiple MN/WI sites)
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid (shadowing).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Summer observation window.
Application deadline: Applications accepted April 1–30 for summer observations.
Eligibility: 16+, junior/senior, and completion of at least one term (30+ hours) of Mayo Clinic Health System volunteering.
Physician job-shadowing across a range of specialties, the natural next step for students who are already active Mayo Clinic Health System volunteers rather than a standalone entry point.
Who it's best for: A student who has already completed a term of Mayo Clinic Health System volunteering and wants to progress to physician shadowing.
Location: Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Year-round, half-day to 2-day sessions.
Application deadline: Rolling, minimum 4 weeks' notice.
Eligibility: 14+; shadowing is coordinated through your school rather than by individual student request.
A school-coordinated job-shadowing program giving students half-day to two-day observational experiences across hospital departments. Summer sessions can fill to capacity, so requests are generally easier to place earlier in the school year.
Who it's best for: A younger student (14+) whose school has an existing relationship with Nationwide Children's.
Location: St. David's Medical Center (main Austin campus), Austin, TX
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 7–8 weeks, June–July.
Application deadline: March 15–April 15 annually.
Eligibility: Ages 15–18.
A structured teen volunteer program with two weekly 4-hour shifts across high-need hospital service areas, gift shop, discharge lounge, information desk. (St. David's North Austin campus runs a similar program with slightly different age requirements; the South Austin campus has paused its teen program.)
Who it's best for: An Austin-area student wanting a defined, well-organized volunteer commitment over the summer at the main campus.
Location: Providence, RI (Lifespan Summer Youth Employment Program)
Cost/Stipend: Paid, 40 hrs/week.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 7 weeks, summer.
Application deadline: Check current cycle.
Eligibility: Requires a valid CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) license before applying.
A paid nursing-unit placement (4 days/week clinical, 1 day/week workforce training) for students who have already earned their CNA certification.
Who it's best for: A Rhode Island student who already holds a CNA license and wants paid clinical nursing-unit experience.
Location: Vancouver Island, BC (multiple hospital and long-term-care sites)
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid (volunteer).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 450+ youth supported across all locations.
Dates: School-year program, October–April, one 2-hour shift per week.
Application deadline: March 1–May 15 annually.
Eligibility: Ages 15–18 (must turn 15 by September 1).
A school-year volunteer program spanning hospitals and long-term-care homes across Vancouver Island, paired with a monthly healthcare-careers speaker series.
Who it's best for: A Vancouver Island student wanting a sustained, low-intensity volunteer commitment during the school year rather than a summer program.
Location: Texas Children's Hospital, Houston (Medical Center campus) and North Austin, TX
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid (volunteer).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Medical Center campus: June 5–July 16, 2026. North Austin campus: June 1–25, 2026.
Application deadline: Check the current cycle for exact dates.
Eligibility: Ages 15–17.
A hospital volunteer program with two distinct campus tracks, Houston Medical Center and North Austin, each with its own dates, so confirm which campus you mean before applying.
Who it's best for: A 15–17 year old in either the Houston or Austin area wanting structured hospital volunteer hours.
Location: Children's Minnesota, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
Cost/Stipend: Paid, part-time (20 hrs/week).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~20 interns/summer across the whole E&I program (high school + college combined).
Dates: 10 weeks over the summer.
Application deadline: Applications posted on Children's Minnesota careers site; specific 2026 date not reconfirmed this run.
Eligibility: High school and college students; partners with community organizations including AchieveMpls' Step Up program.
Runs since roughly 2019, this equity-and-inclusion internship places you 20 hours a week for 10 weeks in a clinical or non-clinical department, anything from ambulatory care and rehab to HR, foundation, and marketing, alongside group leadership sessions on public speaking, teamwork, and networking.
Who it's best for: A Minnesota student, particularly one from a background underrepresented in healthcare, who wants paid hospital exposure and is as interested in non-clinical departments (HR, marketing, foundation work) as clinical ones.
Location: Stanford campus, in-person, or virtual via Zoom
Cost/Stipend: Paid tuition program; fee varies by session, plus a $75 application fee for new students. Need-based financial aid available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 2026 in-person Session 1: July 13-24, Monday-Friday, 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m.
Application deadline: Applications open November 1.
Eligibility: Rising juniors, seniors, and undergraduate pre-med students, 16+. International students welcome, though Stanford doesn't sponsor visas for the in-person track.
Unlike most Stanford medical programs, CSI is explicitly a clinical skills and shadowing-adjacent experience rather than a research placement: you rotate through specialty-specific skills sessions, interactive lectures, and hands-on activities, including guided dissections and clinical simulations, led by Stanford clinicians and current medical students.
Who it's best for: A student who wants broad clinical exposure across many specialties rather than a single deep research project, and whose family can access financial aid if the tuition is a barrier.
Location: Mount Sinai Health System, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free; some other CEYE tracks offer paid opportunities.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Check current cycle.
Application deadline: Check current cycle.
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors for the Hospital Placement track.
Running since 1975, CEYE's Hospital Placement track gives you a hands-on internship within a single Mount Sinai department, shadowing physicians and clinicians daily. Mount Sinai also runs a hybrid Medical and Scientific Exploration Program spanning Oncology, Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, Cardiology, and Pediatrics.
Who it's best for: A NYC-area junior or senior who wants deep exposure to one specific hospital department, rewarding a student who already knows roughly which specialty interests them.
Location: NYU Langone Health, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Runs during the academic year and summer; exact dates vary by cohort.
Application deadline: Rolling.
Eligibility: High school and college students.
Also known as the "High School Bioethics Project," this internship has you collaborate on real, ongoing projects in NYU's Section of Medical Ethics, covering research ethics, sports ethics, transplant ethics, resource allocation, and clinical ethics, while building relationships with professionals across bioethics, public health, biotech, patient advocacy, and law.
Who it's best for: A student drawn to the philosophical and policy side of medicine rather than clinical or lab work, better suited to a future health-policy, law, or bioethics track than a typical pre-med resume.
Location: NYU Langone Health sites: Tisch Hospital, NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, and others, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free; unpaid, voluntary.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Founded 56+ years ago, over 7,000 students have completed it.
Dates: Three 4-week sessions per summer; a separate Emergency Medicine track runs one 4-week session in mid-July through early August.
Application deadline: Rolling per session; a high school transcript is required if you haven't completed a college semester.
Eligibility: College students, recent grads, and high school seniors 18+, for the general Rusk Rehabilitation track. The Emergency Medicine track has its own separate application.
Founded by Dr. Howard Rusk, you're assigned to one specialty from a rotating annual list, including dance medicine, anesthesia, ICU, and nutrition, for a single 4-week session, logging roughly 140 hours of hands-on observation and instruction, capped by a final exam and a signed certificate.
Who it's best for: An 18+ high school senior who wants deep exposure to one specific medical specialty and values a formal, certificate-backed credential over a research output.
Location: Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Northampton, MA (Mass General Brigham affiliate)
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid volunteer role.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Interview-based placement, not competitive in the traditional sense.
Dates: Summer Junior Volunteer Program; dates set per summer cycle.
Application deadline: Rolling.
Eligibility: Minimum age 15. A background check and immunization records are required.
Placements include information desk greeting, gift shop and hospice shop staffing, and other patient-facing support roles, a genuine entry point into a hospital environment for a younger high schooler than most programs on this list accept.
Who it's best for: A 15-year-old too young for most other hospital volunteer programs (which typically start at 16) who wants a first taste of a hospital environment in western Massachusetts.
Location: Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR (also Arkansas Children's Northwest, Springdale)
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid volunteer role.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited spots, fills on a rolling basis.
Dates: Half-day program, Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m., with a required midday Lunch and Learn.
Application deadline: Typically closes mid-April, or earlier if spots fill.
Eligibility: Teen applicants who can commit to a full 4-week session (two absences allowed).
Combines service and education across rotating departments, giving you exposure to both medical and non-medical hospital disciplines alongside a structured interview and onboarding process.
Who it's best for: A student who wants a genuinely structured, half-day commitment rather than scattered shifts, and is comfortable applying early since spots fill before the stated deadline in many years.
Location: Fargo VA Health Care System, Fargo, ND
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid volunteer role.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment, subject to space.
Dates: Dates vary by year.
Application deadline: Rolling; contact the Fargo VA Center for Development & Civic Engagement.
Eligibility: Minimum age 14.
Roles include information-desk assistance, patient escorting, recreational therapy support, and administrative tasks at a federal medical center serving veterans, a distinctly different setting from a typical civilian hospital.
Who it's best for: A younger student (14+) drawn specifically to veteran care, who wants an entry-level volunteer role without a demanding hour commitment.
Location: Southern Illinois Healthcare facilities, southern Illinois
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 2026 welcomed its largest class ever.
Dates: 6-week program, 4-6 hour shifts, 2-3 days a week.
Application deadline: Varies by year.
Eligibility: High school students.
You shadow across departments, nursing, radiology, respiratory therapy, physical and occupational therapy, and pharmacy, observing everything from a respiratory therapist administering treatment to a nurse managing multiple patients, with a mandatory orientation and a closing awards dinner.
Who it's best for: A student who wants breadth across many clinical departments in a rural or regional health system, and appreciates a lighter weekly time commitment than a full-day placement.
Location: UK HealthCare, Lexington, KY
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited to 4 partner high schools (Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Woodford County).
Dates: Year-long, August through May.
Application deadline: Through your partner high school directly.
Eligibility: Students at one of the four named Lexington-area partner high schools.
Sponsored by the UK College of Medicine's Department of Anesthesiology, this is a genuine year-long commitment: you rotate through nursing, radiology, pharmacy, physical therapy, and other disciplines throughout the school year, attending faculty-led educational sessions.
Who it's best for: A student at one of the four specific partner high schools who wants an ongoing, school-year-long relationship with a hospital system. Not accessible outside those four schools.
Location: USA Health University Hospital, Mobile, AL
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 67 students across all three USA Health hospitals in 2026, the health system's largest cohort yet.
Dates: Roughly two months over the summer; one 4-hour shift per week, about 34 hours total including a mandatory orientation.
Application deadline: Applications typically close in spring; the program fills.
Eligibility: High school students from Mobile County, Baldwin County, or neighboring Mississippi communities, 16+.
You support patient care and hospital operations at University Hospital specifically, placed in departments like Patient Access, Interventional Radiology, and the hospital's patient-comfort cart program, gaining firsthand exposure to hospital workflow.
Who it's best for: A Mobile or Baldwin County-area student who wants exposure to an academic medical center rather than a smaller community hospital.
Location: USA Health Children's & Women's Hospital, Mobile, AL
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Part of the same 67-student, 3-hospital 2026 cohort as the University Hospital track above.
Dates: Roughly two months over the summer; one 4-hour shift per week, about 34 hours total.
Application deadline: Applications typically close in spring; the program fills.
Eligibility: Mobile County, Baldwin County, or neighboring Mississippi residents, 16+.
The same unified USA Health teen volunteer program as above, but placement is specifically at the pediatric and women's health facility, assisting a summer camp program for pediatric patients, a meaningfully different clinical environment from the general hospital track.
Who it's best for: A student specifically interested in pediatrics, neonatal care, or women's health, since placement here is a distinct track from the general University Hospital assignment.
Location: Multiple Bronson Healthcare locations, Kalamazoo region, MI
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Available year-round.
Application deadline: Rolling; must be coordinated through a local CTE program.
Eligibility: High school students enrolled in a Bronson CTE partner program (Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, Calhoun Area Career Center, Van Buren Tech Center, or Battle Creek Central High School Career Academies).
At Michigan's top-ranked medical center for critical care and stroke care, students in Bronson's CTE partner programs support hospital staff and clinicians through flexible internship placements aligned with their coursework.
Who it's best for: A Kalamazoo-area CTE student already enrolled in one of the four named partner programs. Not open to students outside that pipeline.
Location: Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics, multiple locations including Clarion and Belmond, IA
Cost/Stipend: Paid; no cost to students.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; not all applicants are interviewed.
Dates: 8-week program, June through late July.
Application deadline: Rolling.
Eligibility: Must be entering senior year of high school or above.
A full-time hospital placement, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., rotating across departments to observe hospital workflow, professional habits, and communication norms, closing with a final reflective project.
Who it's best for: A rural Iowa student entering senior year who wants a genuinely paid hospital placement, one of the few paid options among these volunteering programs.
Location: Baptist Health Medical Center, Little Rock, AR
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid; eligible for the Allison Justiss Volunteen Scholarship.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Throughout June.
Application deadline: Rolling.
Eligibility: High school students.
You rotate across inpatient units, the main information desk, the surgery center, and critical care, with a chance for specialized NICU training and eligibility for a scholarship named for a former Baptist Health teen volunteer.
Who it's best for: A student who wants a genuine scholarship incentive attached to volunteer hours, not just a certificate of completion.
Location: MercyOne medical centers, multiple Iowa locations (Des Moines, North Iowa, and others)
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not competitive; rolling enrollment subject to space.
Dates: Available year-round and in summer.
Application deadline: Rolling.
Eligibility: High school students.
A standard hospital junior-volunteer role supporting patient and visitor services across MercyOne's Iowa locations.
Who it's best for: A Des Moines-area student looking for a flexible, low-barrier entry point into hospital volunteering without a highly competitive application process.
Location: UnityPoint Health – St. Luke's Hospital, Sioux City, IA
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: "Junior Summer Volunteer Boot Camp," 8-week program starting in June, minimum 10 hours a week.
Application deadline: Rolling; note "Junior Summer Volunteer Boot Camp" in your application.
Eligibility: At least 14, or in 7th grade.
Onboarding mirrors employee onboarding, with background checks and training from a department champion, and your hours are logged into the hospital's official tracking system, a genuinely employee-like experience rather than a casual drop-in role.
Who it's best for: One of the youngest-eligible programs on this list (14, or even 7th grade), a strong option for a student who wants to start hospital exposure earlier than most programs allow.
Location: Springhill Medical Center, Mobile, AL
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Ongoing; contact Volunteer Services for current openings.
Application deadline: Rolling.
Eligibility: Ages 14 (by June 1) to 18, currently in high school.
You rotate through departments including the Heart Center, Outpatient Surgery, and the main Information Desk at this private community hospital, with full orientation and service training provided.
Who it's best for: A Mobile-area student who wants exposure to a private community hospital rather than the academic USA Health system, and appreciates a flexible, department-varied placement.
Location: Thomas Hospital, Fairhope, AL
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited openings; apply early.
Dates: Summer session, roughly early June through late July.
Application deadline: Typically around April 1.
Eligibility: Ages 14-17/18; minimum 3.0 GPA. A formal health screening and orientation are required.
Run by the Thomas Hospital Auxiliary, you commit to a minimum 4-hour weekly shift across departments like Cardiovascular and Telemetry, the Cath Lab, Endoscopy, Radiology, and Surgery, a genuinely structured, screened placement rather than a casual role.
Who it's best for: A Baldwin County-area student who wants a more formally screened, structured hospital placement and doesn't mind upfront health-clearance requirements.
Location: Parkview Health facilities and clinics, northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Semester-long, fits within a school semester rather than summer only.
Application deadline: Rolling; coordinated through Parkview's Education Services department.
Eligibility: High school students meeting Parkview's FutureREADY criteria.
FutureREADY lets you explore different clinical and non-clinical career paths through job shadows and observations while fulfilling a semester-long commitment, distinct from a one-time summer placement.
Who it's best for: A Fort Wayne-area student who wants an ongoing, semester-length relationship with a hospital system and values seeing multiple career paths rather than committing to one department upfront.
Frequently asked questions: hospital shadowing programs for high school students
Can you work at a hospital as a high school student?
Paid hospital roles for high schoolers exist but are rare. Three of the 29 programs listed here pay: the Seacole Scholars Program in Providence, the Children's Minnesota Summer Equity Internship at 20 hours a week for 10 weeks, and the Summer Intern Program at Iowa Specialty Hospitals, which runs full-time for eight weeks. Everything else is unpaid volunteer or observation work.
What do high school interns do at a hospital?
Most of the work is non-clinical support rather than patient care. Typical assignments include staffing the information desk, escorting patients, working the discharge lounge, running comfort or supply carts, and helping in the gift shop.
How long do hospital shadowing and volunteer programs last?
The range is wide, from two days to a full academic year. Shadowing is usually measured in days, with Nationwide Children's offering half-day to two-day sessions. Volunteer programs run much longer: St. David's Medical Center runs seven to eight weeks over the summer, Island Health's Step Up runs October through April, and UK CHIP commits you from August to May.
How do you get volunteer hours as a high schooler?
Contact the volunteer services office at a hospital near you and ask what their minimum commitment is, since most set one. Jersey City Medical Center requires 50 hours. Apply well before the deadline, as spots fill up: Arkansas Children's typically closes applications in mid-April, or sooner once the program is full.
What kinds of healthcare professionals can high school students shadow?
Far more than physicians. Southern Illinois Healthcare places students alongside nurses, radiology staff, respiratory therapists, physical and occupational therapists, and pharmacists. NYU's Rusk Rehabilitation program assigns you to one specialty from a rotating list that has included dance medicine, anesthesia, intensive care, and nutrition, while NYU's medical ethics internship sits on the policy and bioethics side instead.
Are there virtual hospital shadowing programs for high school students?
Almost none, and for a structural reason. Clinical observation depends on being physically present with patients who have consented to your being there, which does not transfer to video. One program on this list runs a remote track, Stanford's Clinical Summer Internship via Zoom, but that track delivers skills sessions and lectures rather than observation of live patient care. If you are not near a hospital that accepts students, the realistic virtual alternative is research or coursework rather than shadowing, and programs like Lumiere's research mentorship run fully online for that reason.