Summer Activities to Explore Medicine
by Sophia S.
Summers can be a valuable time to explore your career interests outside the classroom by gaining a better understanding of what different careers entail and how they align with your passions.
This can, in turn, make college planning and identifying a major easier. If you are interested in exploring a career in medicine, below are a few types of summer activities you should consider.
Shadowing a Healthcare Professional
Shadowing involves following a healthcare provider while at work to gain firsthand knowledge of their typical roles and responsibilities. Shadowing offers an opportunity to observe a true day in the life of a healthcare professional, gain clinical experience, delve into different medical roles and specialties, and benefit from the guidance and mentorship of experts in the field.
Explore opportunities for shadowing at your local hospitals, clinics, and universities.
Volunteering/Working in a Medical Setting
Volunteering or working in a medical setting can provide valuable insight into a career in medicine. Tasks can include greeting and orienting patients and visitors, answering phone calls, delivering items to patients, and transporting and discharging patients.
By immersing yourself in a hospital or clinical setting, you’ll quickly grasp the collaboration, communication skills, and patient care that a career in medicine entails and will be able to assess if it is a good fit for you. Many hospitals have formal volunteering programs available for interested high school students.
Getting Involved in Research
Research is a wonderful way to learn how to design and conduct studies to address scientific questions, develop your curiosity through hands-on experience, and gain knowledge about careers in science and medicine.
Projects that high school students can get involved in range from laboratory research to clinical research to computer science projects. Through close collaboration with clinicians and scientists, you can benefit from valuable mentorship as well as opportunities to build your resume through research experience, publications, and presentations.
Many universities and laboratories have formal summer research programs for high school students, with some even providing stipends!
