Maine Health Internships: Opportunities for Aspiring Healthcare Professionals

Maine offers a variety of health internships designed to provide students and graduates with valuable experience in the healthcare field. These internships cater to different interests and academic levels, ranging from undergraduate programs to specialized clinical experiences. These opportunities serve as a powerful tool for addressing a portion of Maine’s growing healthcare workforce shortage.

Undergraduate Health Leadership Internship (UHLI) Program

The Undergraduate Health Leadership Internship (UHLI) program offers undergraduate students an opportunity to experience health and healthcare environments in Maine. This program, facilitated by the Hanley Center in partnership with Maine colleges and universities, aims to retain young talent within the state through leadership development, paid internships, and mentoring.

Key Features

Partnership: Collaboration between the Hanley Center and Maine colleges and universities.
Focus: Provides undergraduate students with exposure to health and healthcare settings in Maine.
Goal: To address Maine’s healthcare workforce shortage by retaining young professionals.
Components: Leadership development, paid internships, and mentoring.

Application Process for Hosting an Intern

Teams interested in hosting an intern through the UHLI program should:

Talk to your team about hosting an intern.
Gather their back-burner projects and tasks to compile for a description of what the intern would be doing at your site.
You are welcome to interview or further vet the candidate.
Discuss scheduling and other pre-internship considerations.
Adjust the start date and timeline based on organizational need and intern availability.

Application Process for Students

Students interested in applying for the UHLI program should:

Talk to your healthcare career advisor about your goals and the positions you are most interested in.
Pick up to three positions of interest for your application.
Review the application.
Make a note of the Orientation and Leadership Day dates.
Final positions will be determined, and applicants will be notified in March-April.

Benefits of the UHLI Program

Participants have reported significant benefits from the UHLI program, including:

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Networking opportunities with Maine’s healthcare leaders.
Firsthand observation of the state’s healthcare system.
Opportunities for future employment.
Personal and professional growth.

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center (MHMMC) Inpatient Internal Medicine Acting Internship

The inpatient internal medicine acting internship at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center (MHMMC) combines experiential learning and structured learning activities. This internship emphasizes the daily care of patients as a member of the ward team and focuses on basic competencies in accordance with the Society for General Internal Medicine and the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine.

Goals of the Acting Internship in Medicine

The overall goals of the Acting Internship in Medicine are:

Consolidate and expand on the fundamental skills in history and physical examinations and case presentation.
Expose you to the variety and complexity of Internal Medicine in hospitalized and/or ambulatory patients.
Develop the fundamental behaviors of thoroughness, reliability, and efficiency that will aid you as an intern in internal medicine.
Develop a knowledge base from patient care experiences, independent study, defined readings and didactic sessions that will enhance your ability as an acting intern.
Develop skills in the identification and analysis of patient medical problems sufficient to enter an internship in medicine.
Develop those technical/procedural skills needed to be an intern in medicine.
Have fun and learn!!

Key Aspects of the Program

Emphasis on Fundamental Skills: The department emphasizes the development of sound fundamental skills in collecting information from patients and in developing an approach to identifying and addressing the problems patients present.
Exhaustive Study of Illness: The inpatient internal medicine acting internships provide opportunities for the exhaustive study of illness and disease at advanced stages.
Skill Development: Students will strive for excellence in acquiring the skills needed to be competent, caring physicians.
Comprehensive Program: The department has developed an extensive program to assist you in achieving these objectives.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the month, each student will have advanced their ability to guide data collection and problem solving of a broad spectrum of problems and will demonstrate the skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed to function effectively in the clinical setting.

Core Competencies

During the acting internship at MHMMC, students are expected to master the following:

Conduct a focused patient interview
Perform an accurate and appropriate physical examination
Provide a prioritized and comprehensive problem list
Record the information collected and management plans in an organized medical record
Present the information in a succinct, focused oral presentation
Describe pertinent testing and possible management
Describe interventions to modify high risk behavior and activities
Be able to discuss medical recommendations and choices with the patient and family in a caring manner to help the patient make medical decisions

Additional Considerations

While undertaking the complexities of medical decision making and making informed decisions, students should begin to incorporate:

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Awareness of the structure and economics of various health care systems
Awareness of the patient's social and cultural background
Principles of medical (or clinical) ethics
Awareness of appropriate community resources
Knowledge of clinical epidemiology and outcomes research

MaineHealth Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The Summer Undergraduate Research Program is a ten-week program where students work 40 hours per week at one of MaineHealth's research locations in the Portland, ME area. This program trains students to lead research projects and provides a curriculum covering research topics, professional competencies, and biomedical and science training and careers.

Program Details

Duration: Ten weeks
Hours: 40 hours per week
Location: MaineHealth research locations in the Portland, ME area
Focus: Training students to lead research projects
Curriculum: Research topics, professional competencies, and biomedical and science training and careers

Eligibility and Application

The MaineHealth Summer Research Internship Program welcomes applications from students who meet the eligibility requirements for the program.

Application Process

The application process has two parts:

MaineHealth Employment Application: This application asks for information about past employment and education history. Applicants may upload a resume to pre-populate much of the application. The application will also ask for the names and contact information for two references.
Personal Statement: A personal statement (500 words or less) should include an overview of your qualifications for participation in the program.

Only applicants who complete both parts of the application will be considered. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Important Dates

Application Opens: Early December
Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
Selection Begins: February
Notification: No later than April 1, 2026
Program Dates: June 1, 2026 - August 7, 2026

Visa Sponsorship

The program is generally for U.S. citizens. However, MHIR does not have the ability to sponsor a visa for an individual coming to do research as an undergraduate, so applicants needing a visa would need to identify a visa sponsor.

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Other Opportunities and Considerations

Volunteer Opportunities

Many schools expect their applicants to have had practical exposure to the profession. This may be done by volunteering in a hospital or nursing home, by assisting in a professional office, or simply by observing a professional on a regular basis. Community activities, volunteer projects, and charity endeavors are also important.

Volunteer opportunities are available at:

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC)
St. Joseph Healthcare

Job Shadowing

Job shadowing is a component of the career exploration process and can help students gain a sense of what the job is really like.

Opportunities for job shadowing are available at:

Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC)
St. Joseph Healthcare

Work Experience

Many health profession students will work in the health field prior to applying to graduate school. Examples of positions include:

Pharmacy technician
Phlebotomist
Psychiatric technician
Registered Nurse (RN)
Nuclear cardiology aide
EMT

Research Internships

Students interested in an internship during the academic year should start by reaching out to scientists at MHIR to identify if there is a suitable research mentor to host the internship. Students can look at the faculty webpages and reach out directly to the researchers whose work is of interest.

MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital Child Life Specialist Student Internship

The MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital Child Life Specialist Student Internship program is an intensive, clinically based program that meets the child life certification requirements for clinical experience.

Program Focus

Comprehensive child development training

Eligibility

Designed for bachelor's and master’s level students from the fields of child life, child development, child and family studies, recreational therapy, or other related fields of study which include a strong child development emphasis.
Applicants must be affiliated with a college or university.

Requirements

Prior to the start date, an affiliation agreement must be established and signed by MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital and your university/institution.
Selection of interns is based on previous experience working with children, successful completion of all child life coursework, interview and references.

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