If you want to engage yourself with medicine this summer we encourage you to start looking for programs! If you want a place to start, here are a few local opportunities in the medical field available for you to participate in this summer:
Duke Hospital Junior Volunteers (Due Feb 16th)
Program Description:
June 12-August 4
Student volunteers are immersed in a hospital environment at Duke University Hospital. They are either placed in patient concierge/information desks or at the Lenox Baker Children's Hospital.
Requirements:
- Students must be able to volunteer 7 weeks of the 8-week program
- Each student must commit to at least 12 hours of volunteering per week (but cannot volunteer more than 24 hours/per week)
- Full COVID-19 vaccination and boosters required
- Must be 16-17 by June 12 in order to participate
ISHTaR (Internship in Health Sciences, Health Training, and Research) (Due Mid-March)
To apply, email Ms. Julianne Cyr (jcyr@med.unc.edu) to receive information on the next steps
Program Description:
The program is sponsored by UNC’s Department of Emergency Medicine and is designed to help local High School students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds to develop research skills and explore career options in medicine and public health over the summer.
ISHTaR offers many opportunities to help interns gain experience in research and clinical medicine, including:
Working with a team of researchers on a variety of projects
Planning health communications materials for lay and clinical audiences
Creating informational documents for research partners
Developing educational courses
Reviewing literature on health conditions and programs related to emergency medicine
Shadowing clinicians in practice and developing mentorships
Shadowing EMS paramedics on an ambulance
Shadowing physicians during inpatient and outpatient efforts
Discussing life experiences and careers pathways with clinicians and researchers
Other experiences tailored to student’s interests
Team activities
Book club exploring complex healthcare-related issues
A minimum of 20 hours of paid work per week
Flexible start and end dates to align with the intern’s school year
Requirements:
- Must be a rising sophomore, junior, or senior at a North Carolina high school
- Strong preference is given to applicants from underrepresented/disadvantaged background. (Examples include, but are not limited to:
Attending schools located in underserved and rural areas of the state (e.g., Eastern & Western NC)
Low family income and individual income
Member of historically marginalized social/ethnic groups such as, but not limited to: African American, American Indian, Latinx, Pacific Islander, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.)
WinSPIRE (Due Feb 22nd)
Program Description:
June 20-July 28
WinSPIRE supports high school students from underrepresented genders in STEM (cis-woman, trans-woman, trans-man, non-binary, genderfluid, agender, genderqueer, two-spirit), particularly students from historically marginalized groups in STEM and first-generation students. The program provides hands-on experience in a research laboratory, engaging college-prep workshops, and an extensive support network of mentors from underrepresented genders in STEM.
Requirements:
- Must be a North Carolina resident
- Identify with an underrepresented gender (cis-woman, trans-woman, trans-man, non-binary, genderfluid, agender, genderqueer, two-spirit)
- Must be 15 by the start of the program
Reach out directly to a local researcher!
Here is a template suggested by UNC on how to reach out to a local researcher:
You can use this "UNC Research faculty database within the Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program" database to find a researcher working in an area that interests you.
Of course, these are only a few of the opportunities available so spent some time looking into more programs on your own! If you have any questions or would like any help applying to any of these programs feel free to reach out and we would be happy to help :)