Internship and Career Development Programs for Students in Healthcare and Professional Fields

High school is a crucial time for students to explore their interests and gain real-world experience that can prepare them for college admissions and future careers. Internships are a great way for students to get hands-on experience in fields they are interested in and develop valuable skills. Finding internships for high school students can be a daunting task, but several organizations provide structured opportunities across a variety of industries, including business, coding, engineering, journalism, medical, psychology, research, and science.

Healthcare Internships at Parkland Health

Parkland Health offers two types of exciting internships for students interested in a career in healthcare. Internships offer valuable professional experience for these students and helps Parkland in its long-term recruiting efforts to bring engaged and talented individuals to Parkland.

Multi-Semester Collegiate Internship Program

Parkland provides a year-long Multi-Semester Collegiate Internship Program, which is designed to equip emerging professionals with practical skills, a strong network and real-world experiences for future healthcare professional roles. The program typically commences the second week of January and concludes the first week of December. Students are assigned to different hospital departments where they work under the supervision of hiring managers and department staff.

Summer Internship Programs

Parkland offers an 8-week summer internship program that introduces high school and college students residing in Dallas County to career and employment opportunities in healthcare. All programs typically kick off the second week of June and end the first week of August. Students are placed in various areas in the hospital and work under the supervision of the hiring manager and the department staff. This includes the Workforce Development College Internship Program and the Workforce Development High School Summer Internship Program.

Diverse Professional Internships for High School Students

Beyond healthcare, many programs focus on leadership and specialized skills. Below are several prominent opportunities available for students:

• Bank of America Student Leaders: This is a program that provides paid summer internships and leadership training for high school juniors and seniors. Students gain practical business experience during these eight-week internships.
• Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI): At BALI, we are committed to mentoring and training motivated youth in middle, high school, and college to cultivate confidence and essential skills necessary to thrive as effective, dynamic, and visionary leaders in the 21st century.
• DOROT Summer Teen Internship: DOROT is a nonprofit that supports the older adult population facing social isolation and loneliness. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors looking to make a positive social impact can join our dynamic summer teen internship programs where they will earn over 112 community service hours.
• Ladders for Leaders: This is a prestigious and nationally recognized program that provides exceptional high school and college students with the opportunity to participate in paid professional summer internships. These internships are offered in partnership with leading corporations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies based in New York City.
• Department of Education Internship Opportunities: The Department of Education (ED) provides internships for students and recent graduates who are interested in gaining valuable work experience in government and federal education, policy, and administration.
• Forage Virtual Internships: Forage offers “bite-sized” 5-6 hour virtual work experience programs at companies like Walmart, Lululemon, JP Morgan, Red Bull, and BCG. These mini internships give students a career advantage with the world's top companies, providing students with the skills they need to be successful.
• Youthbridge-NY: Youthbridge-NY offers a two-year fellowship for high school students who are passionate about issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This program helps students learn how to take action and develop professional leadership skills.
• KPMG Future Leaders Program: The KPMG Future Leaders Program focuses on developing future generations of female leaders.

Summary of Key Internship Details

The following list provides a snapshot of the programs and their target participants:

• Parkland Collegiate Program: College students (Year-long duration).
• Parkland Summer Program: High school and college students (8 weeks).
• Bank of America Student Leaders: High school juniors and seniors (Paid summer internship).
• Forage: General students (Virtual, 5-6 hours).
• DOROT Program: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (Focus on community service).
• Interns4Good: High school students (Virtual opportunities at nonprofits).