11 Medical Programs for High School Students in Vermont
- Stephen Turban
- Apr 14
- 7 min read
If you’re interested in medicine, you might be looking for ways to explore the field beyond your high school classes. Structured programs can introduce you to topics like patient care, public health, neuroscience, and medical research while helping you build skills in observation, communication, and scientific thinking. They also provide a way to better understand different roles within the healthcare system.
In Vermont, medical programs are offered through hospitals, universities, regional health organizations, and academic initiatives. These opportunities include internships, mentorship programs, summer experiences, and clinical exposure options, with some focused on healthcare careers and others on research and emerging areas like medical technology.
Why should I do a medical program in high school?
Medical programs can help you understand how healthcare systems operate and how different specialties contribute to patient care. You might observe clinical environments, participate in training sessions, explore case studies, or engage in research activities while learning from professionals in the field. Over time, these experiences can help you build relevant skills, explore your interests, and decide whether to pursue medicine or a related field.
To help with your search, we have 11 medical programs for high school students in Vermont.
If you’re looking for free online summer internships, check out our blog here.
Location: Be Well Vermont Foundation, Southern Vermont, VT
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; stipend may be available for students who meet funding criteria
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly available
Dates: Varies by placement
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school and college students in Vermont and beyond with an interest in science, medicine, or healthcare-related careers
The Be Well Vermont Youth Internship Scholarship Program is a hands-on experiential learning opportunity designed to expose you to real-world careers in healthcare, medicine, and health administration. You’ll gain experience in fast-paced medical environments such as urgent care centers, dental and orthopedic practices, and medical offices across Southern Vermont. You’ll work alongside physicians, paramedics, medical assistants, and healthcare administrators while exploring both clinical and non-clinical roles in the healthcare system. The program blends career shadowing, hands-on learning, instruction from experienced professionals, and educational excursions. The internship focus areas may include biotechnology, nursing and paramedicine, laboratory sciences, pre-medicine, healthcare billing and coding, and healthcare administration.
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
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. 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 research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Location: Southern Vermont AHEC, Southern Vermont, VT
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Year-round program, including summer
Application Deadline: Varies by program and schedule
Eligibility: Middle school and high school students in Southern Vermont
Southern Vermont AHEC, a regional partner of Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center, offers a wide range of health career exploration programs for you. These experiences include classroom presentations, afterschool enrichment, extended summer programs, and job shadow opportunities designed to introduce you to careers in medicine, public health, behavioral health, and allied health fields. The program is highly interactive, featuring hands-on simulations such as suturing activities, CPR practice, healthcare teamwork exercises, and mental health self-care projects. Through initiatives such as MedQuest and Project PAVE, you may also use virtual reality technology to explore healthcare skills and workplaces.
Cost/Stipend: Varies by program type; need-based financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: Vary by cohort: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November). You can apply to the program here.
Eligibility: High school students
The Veritas AI + Medicine Deep Dive is an online program offered by Veritas AI that introduces you to the intersection of artificial intelligence and modern medicine. You’ll explore how AI is applied in areas such as disease diagnosis, medical imaging, genomics, hospital workflows, drug discovery, and neuroscience. The curriculum combines expert-led lectures with hands-on programming notebooks that expose you to real-world medical AI techniques. You’ll collaborate on group projects and receive mentorship from instructors with experience in AI and healthcare. Designed for those interested in both medicine and technology, the program offers a flexible, fully virtual way to gain early exposure to data-driven healthcare innovation.
Location: Virtual (online); coordinated by Northern Vermont Area Health Education Centre
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Fall
Application Deadline: September 18
Eligibility: Students in grades 9–12 residing in northern Vermont
The HERO Mentoring Program is a free, semester-long virtual mentoring initiative designed to support those interested in science, health, and medical careers. You are matched one-on-one with trained medical student mentors from the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine for weekly online sessions. Mentoring pairs focus on goal setting, education, and postsecondary planning, human biology, health science topics, and career exploration in medicine and related fields. Sessions are scheduled flexibly by each mentor-student pair, allowing for personalized guidance and relationship-building. The program’s goal is to strengthen science achievement, confidence, and awareness of health-care pathways among residents of northern Vermont.
Location: Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, St. Johnsbury, VT
Cost/Stipend: Volunteer program
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Flexible; varies by rotation, internship, or job shadow schedule
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students, medical students, and allied health students; must meet onboarding and clearance requirements
Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital offers you clinical rotations, internships, and job shadowing opportunities for those interested in healthcare careers. You’ll participate in hands-on, in-person experiences across hospital departments under the supervision of approved preceptors. Opportunities range from high school job shadowing and internships to formal clinical rotations for medical and allied health students. You’ll gain exposure to real-world patient care, hospital operations, and interdisciplinary healthcare teams in a rural hospital setting. This program is well-suited for those seeking practical experience and early insight into careers in medicine, nursing, allied health, or healthcare administration.
Location: Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center, Upper Valley, VT
Cost/Stipend: Volunteer program
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: 7-week summer program
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors in the Upper Valley region
Daring to Care is a structured summer volunteer program designed for those interested in exploring careers in healthcare while serving their community. You’ll begin with classroom-based training in essential healthcare skills, including communication, confidentiality, CPR, and infection control. After completing approximately 15 hours of training, you’ll rotate through various hospital departments and long-term care settings, assisting patients, families, and staff. The program provides firsthand exposure to daily hospital operations and allows you to interact with experienced healthcare professionals across disciplines. By combining service, skills training, and career exploration, Daring to Care offers a meaningful introduction to healthcare careers and helps you “test drive” your interest in medicine, nursing, or allied health fields.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free; $500 taxable stipend
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 20 students per year
Dates: July 13–July 25
Application Deadline: March 2
Eligibility: Full-time high school students with a strong interest in science or medicine
You’ll collaborate on a genetics-based research project and a patient case study, gaining exposure to both the scientific and clinical dimensions of oncology. The program includes daily faculty-led lectures, panel discussions, and skill-building workshops that introduce you to cancer research, patient care, and biomedical career pathways. You’ll also receive hands-on research experience through a home laboratory kit and engage with peers and mentors across multiple partner universities.
Location: Virtual (via Zoom)
Cost/Stipend: $1,725 (virtual session); scholarships available; no stipend
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Session 1: June 8–June 19 | Session 2: June 22–July 3
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school students following their sophomore, junior, or senior year
The summer program is designed to introduce you to neuroscience, psychiatry, and psychology. You’ll explore topics such as behavioral neuroscience, neuroimaging, mental health disorders, and clinical innovation. You’ll also engage in small-group collaboration to develop a capstone project proposing novel solutions to real-world social issues related to brain and mental health. The program emphasizes both academic rigor and personal development, including discussions of career pathways in medicine and science, as well as strategies for self-care during adolescence. Offered in both virtual and in-person formats, CNI-X brings together a diverse cohort of students from across the U.S. and around the world for a fast-paced, challenging, and community-oriented learning experience.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free; no stipend
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Capped at 100 participants
Dates: July 7–July 11
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle and high school students
Mercer Medical Camp is a free, week-long virtual medical camp designed to introduce you to health and medical careers. Led by doctors, scientists, and medical students from Mercer University School of Medicine, the program covers a range of relevant health topics through interactive teaching sessions. Each day combines a short instructional component with a hands-on activity, allowing you to actively engage with medical concepts. All required materials, including experiment supplies, games, and a camp T-shirt, are provided at no cost and mailed to you in advance. The camp emphasizes early exposure to healthcare pathways while removing financial and geographic barriers for rural students.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $45 application fee; $2,400 program fee; partial and full financial aid available; no stipend
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 50 students per summer
Dates: Session A: June 15–June 26 | Session B: July 6–July 17
Application Deadline: February 20
Eligibility: Students residing in the U.S. and attending a U.S. high school
The Stanford AIMI Summer Research Internship is a selective, two-week virtual program introducing you to the technical and clinical foundations of artificial intelligence in healthcare. You’ll engage in introductory and advanced lectures on AI in medicine, mentored research activities with Stanford student leads and researchers, and hands-on group project sessions addressing real-world health challenges. The program also features “Meet the Expert” talks with professionals from academia, industry, government, and non-profit sectors, as well as structured social activities. You’ll collaborate in teams in a fast-paced, research-oriented environment that emphasizes problem-solving, ethical considerations, and health equity.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. 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.
Image Source - Lumiere Education logo