Exploring Internship Opportunities at Grady Hospital: A Comprehensive Guide

Grady Memorial Hospital, a cornerstone of healthcare in Atlanta, offers a variety of internship programs designed to provide invaluable experience and training to aspiring healthcare professionals and community leaders. From programs for high school students to advanced doctoral trainees, Grady provides opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute to the well-being of the community.

Internship Programs Overview

Grady Hospital and its affiliates offer a range of internship programs, each with specific requirements and focus areas. These programs cater to different educational levels and career interests, providing a pathway for individuals to gain practical experience and develop essential skills in the healthcare field.

Emory University School of Medicine Internship in Health Service Psychology

The Emory University School of Medicine Internship in Health Service Psychology, based in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Rehabilitation Medicine, offers a 1-year full-time training experience for eligible advanced doctoral trainees in clinical and counseling psychology. The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine has been training psychologists since the early 1960s and the internship program initially received American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation in 1980.

The program is comprised of a general internship experience that includes a general and trauma track as well as a neuropsychology track that includes opportunities for training concentrations in adult/pediatric and adult/geriatric neuropsychology. Established in 2001, the neuropsychology track meets APA Division 40, Houston Conference, and Association for Internship Training in Clinical Neuropsychology (AITCN) guidelines for neuropsychology internships. The Emory University School of Medicine Internship in Health Service Psychology is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association.

The internship year represents a time to solidify and expand clinical skills and knowledge as well as to gain experiences that support professional development consistent with roles and standards of practice in health service psychology. The internship program is anchored by a scientist-practitioner model such that training emphasizes the integration of clinical theory and practice with scientific knowledge to inform clinical assessment, case formulation, and intervention as part of an overarching evidence-based practice approach.

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The training experience also is grounded in a generalist framework in which interns across all training tracks have opportunities for supervised work with clinical populations across the lifespan in a range of settings. Accordingly, interns gain experience with a variety of clinical populations with respect to psycho-diagnostic presentation, severity of psychological dysfunction, neurocognitive status, psychosocial functioning, and co-occurrence of health/medical conditions. Interns also are exposed to a variety of theoretical frameworks for clinical practice, including integrative, neuropsychological, neurobiological, psychodynamic, interpersonal, cognitive-behavioral, family systems, and humanistic/existential.

Training activities are structured in accordance with a competency-based perspective to ensure development of key competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) in health service psychology that build on competencies obtained in the context of graduate school training. A key priority of the internship program is to equip trainees to be responsive to the societal contexts and lived experiences of the populations they serve as an essential component of effective clinical practice. Toward this end, the program is strongly committed to cultivating a training environment that encourages inclusive excellence and embraces pluralism across all social, societal, and professional dimensions. This core emphasis is reflected in both experiential and didactic training activities, including clinical service provision, clinical supervision, and the internship seminar curriculum.

As a leading center for scientific inquiry, Emory University, including the School of Medicine, offers a rich training context for psychology interns to explore innovative state-of-the-art approaches to science-practice integration. All aspects of training integrate experiential, theoretical, and evidence-based learning activities associated with both the science and practice of health service psychology. The training program is structured to ensure that the faculty have the time and support to make a major commitment to supervision and teaching of interns. Consistent with the program philosophy, a primary focus on experiential learning via direct clinical service activities during the internship year is regarded as essential for interns to achieve competency in effectively applying scientifically derived psychological knowledge. Interns have opportunities for supervised experience in individual, couple/family, and group psychotherapy as well as psychological assessment, case management, and consultation. Interns also learn about key systemic aspects of professional functioning. For instance, interns gain experience in interprofessional collaboration, which is inherent to work in academic health science center settings. Interns also learn to utilize community and systems-based interventions that are vital to effective work with the clinical populations served.

Didactic learning in seminars centers on clinically relevant content areas as well as professional development topics. Additionally, faculty members model a range of professional role functions (e.g., clinical, teaching/training, scholarship/research, community engagement, professional/public interest advocacy) from which interns can draw as reference points for informing their own professional role development.

Grady’s Teen Experience and Leadership Program (TELP)

Grady’s Teen Experience and Leadership Program (TELP) offers more than a typical summer program. It gives you a real look into healthcare. Over 7 weeks, you’ll explore careers, build leadership skills, and see what you can achieve. TELP uses a competitive application process. Please review all requirements and deadlines BEFORE submitting your application, as they vary from year to year. All future program communication will be sent there. Only complete applications move to the next step. Take the YouScience career assessment.

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TELP Leaders receive a program t-shirt that must be worn during shifts. You may wear khakis, jeans, or scrub bottoms (no rips, stains, or tears). You must complete the assessment to participate. TELP is an unpaid educational program.

Now in its fourth year, the program has grown from starting with just 80 students in 2020 to receiving 3,000 applicants alone for this year’s cycle. This 7-week program is fully accessible, with the only requirement being a completed application and a desire to learn. Program participants build their own schedule of 4-hour shifts and rotate through different sectors of the hospital. They can gain experience in clinical areas such as Emergency Services and the Laboratory, as well as non-clinical areas, ranging from the Chaplaincy to Finance or Language Services Departments. In addition to the technical experience, students also develop their leadership and communication skills, as well as confidence in the healthcare field. Approximately 40% of program participants are family members or children of Grady employees, allowing them to have a deeper understanding of the excellent work that goes on in the hospital. Grady plans to help other hospitals replicate this program outside of Atlanta, including Columbus and Gainesville, to open up the possibilities for even more youth, including middle school students. TELP is more than just another internship, but a launchpad for the future of underserved students in the community, providing free exposure to what might cost thousands elsewhere.

Requirements and Application

A competitive application process is in place for the TELP program. Applicants should carefully review all requirements and deadlines, as these may vary from year to year. Communication regarding the program will be sent to applicants, so it is important to ensure that the application is complete. A key component of the application is the YouScience career assessment, which is required for both new and returning TELP Leaders. This assessment evaluates the applicant's readiness, commitment, and alignment with the program's mission.

Responsibilities and Expectations

TELP Leaders are considered changemakers in training and are expected to embody this role. All medical documentation must be submitted before orientation, and TB blood test results are required only after acceptance into the program. TELP Leaders receive a program t-shirt that must be worn during shifts. Acceptable attire includes khakis, jeans, or scrub bottoms, provided they are free of rips, stains, or tears. Participation in the YouScience assessment is mandatory for all participants. It’s important to note that TELP is an unpaid educational program.

GTP Undergraduate Intern Program

GTP Undergraduate Intern Program Applications are OPEN for Summer & Fall '26. The Grady Trauma Project (GTP) is a NIH-funded research project with many active studies that investigate risk and resilience mechanisms related to PTSD and other adverse trauma-related health outcomes as well as cutting-edge interventions. Research is conducted across sites at Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta, Georgia and Emory University campus.

The primary role of an undergraduate intern is to conduct interviews with participants on their trauma history and psychological health. Participants are primarily from the Atlanta community. Interns complete extensive clinical training in order to conduct the interviews independently, gaining meaningful skills in trauma research methods and the administering of clinical psychological measures. Through this work, interns will have the unique opportunity to develop a thorough knowledge of trauma and trauma-related disorders, and will become members of a team at the forefront of international PTSD research. In particular, interns will gain experience working directly with adults and/or children with a range of psychopathology, will develop critical clinical skills, and will be able to administer a number of widely used psychological assessment instruments with both chronic and acutely traumatized populations.

Interns are expected to complete 6+ hours of clinical research tasks per week for a period of 6+ months.

Applications close on March 2nd at 5:00pm. For candidates whose applications make it to the next round, we will extend interview invitations on March 6th. Interviews will be conducted March 16th th through March 20th. Emory University: In order to be eligible to work as an intern at GTP, it is Emory University policy that students must enroll in a research for credit course. Georgia State University RISE program: In order to be eligible to work as an intern at GTP, students must be able to enroll in independent research for course credit. Georgia Institute of Technology will be eligible to apply for the Fall semester starting in 2026.

Work-Based Learning (WBL) Program

Grady partners with Metro Atlanta schools to offer work-based learning (WBL) students real-world healthcare exposure. This program helps students earn required school credits and fulfill community service obligations. Students are placed in a hospital department based on their interests and what’s available. If selected, students will receive a conditional offer.

Requirements and Recommendations

While not strictly required, participation in the WBL program is highly recommended. The necessity of the program depends on the student's school's WBL requirements and department availability within Grady Hospital. Accepted students must complete required documentation before orientation.

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program

Grady’s Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program equips ordained clergy, seminarians, and spiritual care professionals with the skills and insight to provide compassionate, culturally responsive care in diverse clinical settings. Grady Health System’s Extended Part-time CPE Program is a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program for people who want to increase their spiritual care skills. Clinical Pastoral Education is interfaith professional education for ministry. It brings theological students and ministers of all faiths (pastors, priests, rabbis, imams, and others) into supervised encounters with persons in crisis. Out of an intense involvement with persons in need, and the feedback from peers and teachers, students develop a new awareness of themselves as persons and of the needs of those to whom they minister. From theological reflection on specific human situations, they gain a new understanding of ministry.

Additional Opportunities and Recognition

Grady Hospital is committed to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of its staff and promoting excellence in healthcare.

Lantern Award

The Emergency Department (ED) at Grady Hospital received the Lantern Award, marking the first time the hospital has received this award in its history of serving the Atlanta community. The rigorous application process for the Lantern Award began , but the ED nursing team had already been working tirelessly on improving systems and innovations for the department. Some innovations included designating a traffic control nurse to manage the high volume of patients and reducing patient wait times.

Internal Awards Ceremony

In 2020, ED leaders launched an internal awards ceremony for nurses that began after the COVID-19 pandemic. Nominations for the ceremony are from peers in the hospital, but quite a few come from former patients, which is a testament to the lasting impact Grady’s nurses have made.

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