Clinical Internships for Undergraduates: A Comprehensive Guide

For undergraduates aspiring to careers in medicine or related healthcare fields, clinical internships offer invaluable opportunities to gain practical experience and insight into the workings of the medical system. Whether you envision yourself as a nurse, doctor, or another allied health professional, an internship can provide a significant advantage in your future career path.

What is a Clinical Internship?

A clinical internship places undergraduate students in a healthcare setting, such as a hospital, clinic, or research lab. These internships provide a close-up view of how healthcare operates. The specific tasks and responsibilities of a hospital intern vary depending on the chosen field within the medical system. For example, the tasks of a nursing intern will differ from those of someone training to become a surgeon. You might help with basic patient care, support clinical trials, observe surgeries, or assist with lab research, depending on the role.

Benefits of Clinical Internships

Early Exposure: Internships provide early exposure to the realities of healthcare, helping students solidify their career aspirations.
Skill Development: Interns develop practical skills relevant to their chosen field, such as communication, attention to detail, and knowledge of medical terminology.
Resume Building: A clinical internship strengthens your resume, making you a more competitive applicant for medical school or other health-related graduate programs.
Networking Opportunities: Internships offer the chance to work alongside doctors, researchers, and hospital staff, fostering professional connections that can lead to future job opportunities, letters of recommendation, or research roles.
Informed Career Decisions: Internships enable students to make informed decisions about their future careers by providing firsthand experience in different medical roles.

Finding a Hospital Internship

Several avenues can be explored when searching for hospital internships:

University Resources: Career services centers at universities often have information about internship opportunities and can provide guidance on the application process. Make sure to sign up for a meeting with your career advisor at the start of the school year for additional help in planning ahead!
Online Job Boards: Websites like Handshake allow you to really focus on focused employers where you might want to work and even network with past interns who might also be alumni from your school. Handshake offers filtered searches to find "hospital internships near me." If you’re looking for a hospital internship in a particular location, try searching for openings by using filters like “hospital internships Kaiser” or “hospital internships Seattle.”
Hospital Websites: Many hospitals and healthcare organizations post internship opportunities on their websites.
Networking: Reach out to healthcare professionals you know and inquire about internship possibilities.

How to Get a Hospital Internship with No Experience

If you’re interested in getting a hospital internship, but have no prior experience, it’s key to play to your strengths and show that you’re eager to learn. You can search for hospital or clinical internships on Handshake to first get a feel of the requirements that they usually list for their interns. After that, list in your resume and cover letter experiences and previous roles you’ve had where the skills translate over. For example, if you’ve taken a nursing course or have had experience in an applicable volunteer project, mention it!

When to Apply

For most positions, start searching for your internship sooner rather than later! If you are planning to have a summer hospital internship, we recommend starting to look for internship positions no later than the season prior. Many industries prefer to recruit as early as the fall, so staying up to date on fall virtual career fairs will be helpful in securing a role! Each company has different deadlines for applications, so sooner is usually better! If you’re searching for a role during the school year, it’s best to get on applying 3-6 months prior so you can inform your internship of your other obligations and classes.

It’s also really important to keep in mind that your university’s career services center will have great insight about specific recruitment periods at your school.

Compensation and Skills

Because the internship roles that require hospital interns vary, there’s no standard answer for a hospital internship payscale. If you’re wondering how much your hospital internship will pay, it might be best to inquire directly with the company you’re considering taking an internship with. Some internship programs will offer only class credits, while many others are more keen to compensate their interns with an hourly rate or a set stipend.

Relevant skills for hospital interns:

Strong attention to detail
Great communication skills
Knowledge of medical terms and processes

Opportunities in Los Angeles

For students based in Los Angeles, numerous medical internships are available due to the city's concentration of major hospitals, medical schools, and research institutions. Here are some examples of medical internships for undergraduates in Los Angeles:

Ladder University Internship Program: An 8-week, fully remote experience where you work directly with a start-up on a real-world project. You’ll be matched with a company based on what you choose during the application. You’ll meet with your host company for 8 working sessions. You’ll complete a professional-level project, present it at the end, and receive a reference letter from your founder or manager. Start-ups offer internships in areas like software engineering, AI/ML, health tech, journalism, environmental science, and more.
USC Keck School of Medicine Internship for Prospective Genetic Counseling: A one-year program for college graduates and undergraduate seniors planning to apply to genetic counseling programs. You’ll work directly with USC cancer genetic counselors at either the Norris Cancer Hospital or the Los Angeles General Medical Center. Your responsibilities include shadowing clinical sessions, entering pedigree data, participating in research tasks, and attending weekly case conferences held on Zoom. You’ll also give a final presentation on a cancer genetics topic.
UCLA HIGH AIMS: A two-year academic and mentoring program for first- and second-year undergraduates who plan to apply to health profession schools. You’ll get support in science courses, career planning, and graduate school preparation. As part of the program, you’ll participate in internships and research with UCLA faculty or mentors, attend career seminars and workshops, and engage in community service. You’ll also receive guidance to build a strong application for health profession programs.
UCLA Sports Medicine Internship Program (SMIP): Offers UCLA undergraduate students keen to pursue a career in sports medicine the opportunity to combine academic studies with practical experience through observation and assisting. You will work with UCLA Sports Medicine staff, physicians, and student-athletes with a rotation in different sports medicine roles, including athletic team assignments. You will learn how to identify, appraise, and effectively treat a variety of athletic injuries under the supervision of physicians, physical therapists, and athletic trainers. You will also gain knowledge of injury prevention, rehab, physical therapies, and more.
Cedars-Sinai U-Grow Program: A year-long medical research internship for juniors, seniors, and recent graduates from eight California State University campuses in the Los Angeles area. You’ll begin with a 9-week paid summer internship, working 20-40 hours per week with a Cedars-Sinai researcher on clinical, translational, or community cancer research. You’ll complete at least 180 hours, present your findings at a scientific poster session, and attend biweekly cohort meetings. After summer, you’ll join monthly virtual workshops focused on scientific writing, communication, and graduate school preparation.
CCALAC Allied Health Internship Program: A 100-hour, in-person medical internship for undergraduate students interested in healthcare careers. You’ll be placed at a community health center in Los Angeles County, where you’ll work 15-25 hours per week under the supervision of clinic staff. After an initial orientation and two workshops, you’ll begin hands-on training in roles such as medical assistant, nurse assistant, dental assistant, substance abuse counselor, phlebotomist, and pharmacy technician. At the end of the internship, you’ll receive a certificate of completion and may be considered for employment at your site depending on clinic needs.
CIRM COMPASS Program: A two-year paid medical research internship for undergraduates interested in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. You’ll receive hands-on lab training in stem cell growth and differentiation, complete a research internship with a faculty mentor, and engage in patient outreach and advocacy. The program includes coursework in stem cell biology and ethics, professional development workshops, and a capstone project presented in your senior year.
USC Summer Program in Biostatistics and Data Science: Hosted by USC’s Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, the program introduces you to biostatistics and data science through coursework, hands-on analysis of real public health data, and group research projects. You’ll earn 2.0 USC academic credits, present your work in a final poster session, and receive training from USC faculty in areas like clinical trials, statistical genetics, and epidemiology.
UCLA Public Health Scholars Training Program: You’ll be matched with a community-based organization, health system, or government agency in Los Angeles, where you’ll work on real public health projects three days a week. On the other two days, you’ll attend workshops on health equity, social justice, and public health leadership at UCLA. You’ll also collaborate with peers on a group research poster, which you’ll present at the CDC Showcase in Atlanta, Georgia.
California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Internships: The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) offers paid internships for undergraduate and graduate students across a wide range of public health fields. You can work in areas such as epidemiology, health statistics, informatics, healthcare administration, child health, nutrition education, HR, IT, and more. Internships are available in remote, hybrid, and onsite formats, with most placements at CDPH’s Richmond and Sacramento campuses, as well as field offices and health centers throughout California. You will work 18 to 29 hours per week and are paid an hourly wage based on location and education level.
U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps Internship Program (COSTEP): The Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps offers internships for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students in health-related fields. You’ll train alongside active duty officers during school breaks for 31 to 120 days, typically in the summer. Internships are available in areas like nursing, pharmacy, physician assistant, dietetics, medical lab technology, and more. You’ll be matched to a duty station based on your academic program, skills, and agency needs. Participants receive pay and allowances equivalent to an Ensign, plus housing and travel support. After completing the program, you may apply for SRCOSTEP or a General Duty commission upon earning your qualifying degree.
UCLA Amgen Scholars Program: A 10-week, full-time medical research internship for undergraduates interested in biomedical science, bioengineering, chemical engineering, or related fields. You’ll be matched with a UCLA faculty mentor and work in their lab on a research project. The program includes lab training, weekly seminars on graduate school applications and research presentations, GRE prep, and writing support. You’ll submit a research paper and present a poster on your summer project. All participants live on campus, and all program costs are covered.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Medical Preceptorship Program: A one-week, full-time medical internship for USC pre-med undergraduates with junior or senior standing. You’ll be paired with a faculty mentor at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and shadow physicians in departments such as General Pediatrics, Pediatric ICU, Pediatric Emergency, Cardiothoracic ICU, and the Cardiothoracic Operating Room. You’ll also attend daily Resident Noon Conferences. The program takes place the week after USC Commencement.
Children's Hospital Los Angeles Child Life Practicum: An unpaid, observational pre-internship experience for undergraduate and graduate students interested in becoming child life specialists. You’ll observe child life interventions in clinical and therapeutic settings, complete weekly assignments such as reflective journals and self-care assessments, and learn to plan and lead developmentally appropriate play activities. The program focuses on building foundational skills in communication, empathy, time management, and ethical practice.
UCLA Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP): A free, six-week medical enrichment program for college freshmen and sophomores interested in careers in medicine, dentistry, nursing, and other health fields. You’ll receive academic instruction in biology, chemistry, and population health, participate in clinical simulations and small-group rotations, and attend workshops on financial literacy, wellness, and graduate school preparation. The program includes daily full-time programming and housing at one of 11 partner institutions. After completing the program, you’ll be paired with a mentor in your chosen health track for continued support.

UCLA-Specific Programs and Resources

UCLA offers a range of programs and resources designed for pre-med and pre-health students, including undergraduates, community college students, and high school students.

UCLA/DREW Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP): A free program for 1st and 2nd year educationally and economically disadvantaged undergraduate and community college students to explore their interests in medicine, dentistry, and nursing. Scholars participate in a six-week academic enrichment program where they develop competencies for becoming successful applicants to health profession programs, through specialized academic content, simulation activities, and mentorship.
UCLA Pre-medical Enrichment Program (PREP): A free, six-week intensive summer program for educationally and economically disadvantaged 3rd and 4th year students and recent college graduates that are interested in strengthening their readiness to study medicine. Scholars engage in personal and professional development to enhance their passion for medicine and develop a community of peers to support them along their journey.
UCLA Re-Application Program (RAP): An 11-month post-baccalaureate program from September to August. Enrollment in RAP is free of cost and scholars will be provided a stipend, however, scholars are responsible for their own living expenses during the program, and any associated costs and fees for post baccalaureate courses as part of their individualized re-application plan.
UCLA Health - Volunteer Services: UCLA Health volunteers are exceptional individuals who give back to their community. Over 3000 people volunteer monthly throughout 250 departments at UCLA Health.
UCLA Undergraduate Academic Advancement Program: HIGH AIMS: HIGH AIMS provides academic, career, and mentoring support to AAP students who are interested in gaining admission to health profession schools. It is also designed to provide them with effective strategies to be successful in gateway science courses. It is a cohort program that will admit and support students for two years. Students must be in their first or second undergraduate year. Students will be required to participate in internships, research, Saturday Career seminars, program meetings, community service activities and workshops.
Allied Healthcare Careers Programs: The UCLA Allied Healthcare Careers Program offers education on career pathways in the healthcare field to students across various high schools in Los Angeles County. This pipeline program teaches students about opportunities in healthcare that offer promising career growth in areas facing critical workforce shortages. Allied health professionals support physicians and nurses by playing supportive roles in prehospital care, service delivery, rehabilitation, and disease prevention.
Turner-UCLA Allied Health Internship: The Turner UCLA Allied Health Internship is implemented by the UCLA Community Engagement Program, in partnership with Bobby and Lauren Turner, to provide learning opportunities for high school students and recent graduates in finding out more about careers in the entry-level, allied health professions. The one-week-long, summer internship program is designed to address workforce shortages and offers career education for students with interest in exploring health disparities.
Mattel Youth Ambassadors: The Mattel Youth Ambassadors are a dynamic group comprised of high school students ages 16-18 who support the Mattel Children’s Hospital and patient experience programs. You will gain valuable leadership skills while giving back to the community.

Volunteer Opportunities

UCLA Health volunteers are exceptional individuals who give back to their community. Over 3000 people volunteer monthly throughout 250 departments at UCLA Health.

Writing a Cover Letter

Take a look at some great cover letter writing tips to boost your confidence and ace your internship application!

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