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How do I acquire a internship?
I am a 14 year old high school freshman wanting to pursue medicine, I've been planning to apply to a internship to shadow a psychiatrist in my area my Junior year of high school, but I don't how to write a good resume or if my current enrollment classes will prepare me for to shadow a physician. Is there any resume help or class advice to prepare me?
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Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Kennedy !
I think that advisor Katie has given you some outstanding advice learned first hand. I do want to contribute some things to think about in addition. Shadowing a Psychiatrist. Well, that means sitting in with the psychiatrist and the patient and hearing the patients' personal issues and I believe that the patients' privacy and relationship with the psychiatrist comes first and privacy between doctor and patient is crucial. Shadowing means being there while the professional works and sometimes there is information that a visitor just doesn't need to know. Whether it's policy or the private words of a patient, in my view, shadowing a medical professional is not advisable but people do it anyway. If I were a psychiatrist, I would refuse all shadowing but offer mentoring if someone asked.
That being said, I would recommend doing volunteer work at a different arena for your first time. A mental health clinic or a social service agency. You could also volunteer - not shadow- at an Alzheimer unit in a nursing home. There are many volunteer opportunities that you can have that would contribute to the provider but not be distracting while a doctor is working with a patient. Another place to consider would be with developmentally disabled individuals or an agency that serves people with Traumatic Brain Injury.
It is simple to pick up on what hospitals are like by visiting people and relatives when they go into a hospital. Visit anyone you know and get the feel of the environment. I don't mean to be so opposed to shadowing as a whole, but for the medical industry, it is quite demanding while in action, very focused and there's a strong need for visitors to not know everyone's private business or provider procedures. This is why I suggest volunteer work and an internship if you have enough experience to obtain an internship. My own observation and professional knowledge causes me to believe this.
Do a search for local social service agencies for an internship or volunteer work. Even if you do clerical work for them, you will get a sense of the people and the system. Take it slow at first and sooner or later, when you are in college, you will progress in levels of intensity with your projects and coursework. To get an idea if you'd like psychiatry, watch some videos on You Tube also. I have left some videos for you at a link below.
If you don't have a resume, consider writing introduction letters to whomever you want to offer volunteer work or if you still want to shadow. Talk about the classes you're taking and why you are interested in a possible future career in psychiatry. In the end, go with what you feel will give you the best idea of the work and position and listen to all sides to come to your own decisions.
I wish you all the best moving forward with obtaining experience and learning what your career interest is all about !
WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A PSYCHIATRIST (VIDEOS) https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=what+it%27s+like+to+be+a+psychiatrist
I think that advisor Katie has given you some outstanding advice learned first hand. I do want to contribute some things to think about in addition. Shadowing a Psychiatrist. Well, that means sitting in with the psychiatrist and the patient and hearing the patients' personal issues and I believe that the patients' privacy and relationship with the psychiatrist comes first and privacy between doctor and patient is crucial. Shadowing means being there while the professional works and sometimes there is information that a visitor just doesn't need to know. Whether it's policy or the private words of a patient, in my view, shadowing a medical professional is not advisable but people do it anyway. If I were a psychiatrist, I would refuse all shadowing but offer mentoring if someone asked.
That being said, I would recommend doing volunteer work at a different arena for your first time. A mental health clinic or a social service agency. You could also volunteer - not shadow- at an Alzheimer unit in a nursing home. There are many volunteer opportunities that you can have that would contribute to the provider but not be distracting while a doctor is working with a patient. Another place to consider would be with developmentally disabled individuals or an agency that serves people with Traumatic Brain Injury.
It is simple to pick up on what hospitals are like by visiting people and relatives when they go into a hospital. Visit anyone you know and get the feel of the environment. I don't mean to be so opposed to shadowing as a whole, but for the medical industry, it is quite demanding while in action, very focused and there's a strong need for visitors to not know everyone's private business or provider procedures. This is why I suggest volunteer work and an internship if you have enough experience to obtain an internship. My own observation and professional knowledge causes me to believe this.
Do a search for local social service agencies for an internship or volunteer work. Even if you do clerical work for them, you will get a sense of the people and the system. Take it slow at first and sooner or later, when you are in college, you will progress in levels of intensity with your projects and coursework. To get an idea if you'd like psychiatry, watch some videos on You Tube also. I have left some videos for you at a link below.
If you don't have a resume, consider writing introduction letters to whomever you want to offer volunteer work or if you still want to shadow. Talk about the classes you're taking and why you are interested in a possible future career in psychiatry. In the end, go with what you feel will give you the best idea of the work and position and listen to all sides to come to your own decisions.
I wish you all the best moving forward with obtaining experience and learning what your career interest is all about !
Michelle recommends the following next steps:
Thank you, this is amazing! I really needed it.
Kennedy
You are very welcome, Kennedy ! Have an awesome day !
Michelle M.
Updated
Katie’s Answer
Good evening Kennedy,
I am a New York State license physician. I hope I can help a little. To shadow in the hospital system you should reach out to the volunteer office. Let them know what you are interested in and why. They should be able to help you after that. Most volunteer departments are understaffed so if you don’t hear back in a few weeks, reach out again. You aren’t a pain, you are showing that you have desire to be there.
As far as writing a resume, it’s hard when you are in high school. There is usually not a lot you can put on it. Your main focus should be school so that’s your main experience. That’s ok. There are some resume builders online that are free (you can google it). You should, however, write a letter of intent or a cover letter. In this tell them why you want to shadow and how committed you are. I think that might carry more weight. As far as classes, pay attention in your basic science classes and if you can get an early acceptance to medical school, take it!!! Good luck, I hope you love it as much as I do!
I am a New York State license physician. I hope I can help a little. To shadow in the hospital system you should reach out to the volunteer office. Let them know what you are interested in and why. They should be able to help you after that. Most volunteer departments are understaffed so if you don’t hear back in a few weeks, reach out again. You aren’t a pain, you are showing that you have desire to be there.
As far as writing a resume, it’s hard when you are in high school. There is usually not a lot you can put on it. Your main focus should be school so that’s your main experience. That’s ok. There are some resume builders online that are free (you can google it). You should, however, write a letter of intent or a cover letter. In this tell them why you want to shadow and how committed you are. I think that might carry more weight. As far as classes, pay attention in your basic science classes and if you can get an early acceptance to medical school, take it!!! Good luck, I hope you love it as much as I do!
Thank you for the advice, Katie.
Kennedy
Updated
elle’s Answer
Hello! It’s great that you’re thinking about your interests and how to pursue them! I’m going to add to Katie & Michelle’s already excellent advice. For context, I have worked in or around healthcare for 20 years. Since 2019, I have worked in busy city hospitals and because of the nature of my role, I am very familiar with how *all* departments and services work.
I want to caution you so your expectations are realistic: it’s rare to find a paid healthcare internship for high school students. Volunteering, getting exposure to different aspects of medicine (not only psychiatry) and learning about where you may be able to find part-time work (or full-time in the summer) while still a student is completely realistic. But paid internships are more common once you’re a college student.
I notice you’re in a major city/metropolita area. This means there are LOTs of hospitals & clinics (usually associated with hospitals) around for you to approach about volunteering.
Because you’re a high school student, I suggest volunteering at the hospital closest to you. They will have a volunteer department! Once you’re a volunteer, you will start meeting staff - doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, clinical laboratorians, etc. Be friendly but professional.
Steps to begin volunteering:
First, find one or two hospitals you can get easy transportation to in your area.
Then, go to their website or find their accounts on social media and ask how to become a volunteer or submit a volunteer application.
- You might have to email a generic address that is for the hospital’s volunteer department.
- When you’re applying to be a volunteer, just be clear and genuine about your passions and interests.
- As Katie said, if you don’t hear back it’s because they’re busy. If you haven’t heard back in a couple weeks after emailing, email them again. You can also call the hospital’s main line and ask for the volunteer department & leave a voicemail. Also as Katie said, you’re not nagging!
Nobody is expecting you to have college-level coursework under your belt that sets you up for a career in medicine or nursing or healthcare. However, if you’re exploring healthcare careers, volunteering at a hospital along with having appropriate high-school classes on your resume will set you up to continue to dive deeper in to healthcare opportunities as you prepare to apply and then after admission to college.
Once you’ve started volunteering, be respectful, approach staff about your interest (“hello, i’m a high school student and a volunteer at the hospital interested in learning more about what it’s like to be an MD, RN” etc.) and ask whether you can shadow them for part of their shift. They might say no! Especially because they’re busy and possibly understaffed. This is why it’s important to work through the volunteer department and what it offers. The volunteer department might already have a program in place that allows you to shadow. You’ll figure that out once you become a volunteer.
It may take a few months of shifts before you’re able to secure a shadowing opportunity with a doctor or nurse. That’s ok. It takes time to build relationships and have busy people be willing to support you as they go about doing a very stressful job. The good news is you’ll be spending time in a healthcare environment. It will expose you to what it’s like to work in a hospital. It’ll expose you to other career options. There are a lot!
If you’re successful in securing a couple shadowing/observation shifts at the hospital, consider asking these doctors or nurses if they can refer you to other colleagues (at the same hospital or maybe a clinic or other outpatient setting) who may be able to provide you with more shadowing opportunities.
Be flexible, be responsible, and approach volunteering at the hospital as a learning opportunity to learn about all careers available to you. Medicine (direct patient care, in general) is hard work, though rewarding. There are other satisfying, challenging, high-paying roles that don’t require (7 years minimum) of post-college education. I encourage you to talk to others you meet while you volunteer, whether that’s in the orientation you’ll go through or random staff that you see walking around while you’re volunteering.
Here are a couple hospitals in Houston, as well as their volunteering pages to get you started:
HCA Houston Healthcare has a “VolunTEEN” program: https://www.hcahoustonhealthcare.com/about-us/volunteers
MD Anderson Cancer Center: https://www.mdanderson.org/donors-volunteers/volunteer.html
Good luck!
elle m.
I want to caution you so your expectations are realistic: it’s rare to find a paid healthcare internship for high school students. Volunteering, getting exposure to different aspects of medicine (not only psychiatry) and learning about where you may be able to find part-time work (or full-time in the summer) while still a student is completely realistic. But paid internships are more common once you’re a college student.
I notice you’re in a major city/metropolita area. This means there are LOTs of hospitals & clinics (usually associated with hospitals) around for you to approach about volunteering.
Because you’re a high school student, I suggest volunteering at the hospital closest to you. They will have a volunteer department! Once you’re a volunteer, you will start meeting staff - doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, clinical laboratorians, etc. Be friendly but professional.
Steps to begin volunteering:
First, find one or two hospitals you can get easy transportation to in your area.
Then, go to their website or find their accounts on social media and ask how to become a volunteer or submit a volunteer application.
- You might have to email a generic address that is for the hospital’s volunteer department.
- When you’re applying to be a volunteer, just be clear and genuine about your passions and interests.
- As Katie said, if you don’t hear back it’s because they’re busy. If you haven’t heard back in a couple weeks after emailing, email them again. You can also call the hospital’s main line and ask for the volunteer department & leave a voicemail. Also as Katie said, you’re not nagging!
Nobody is expecting you to have college-level coursework under your belt that sets you up for a career in medicine or nursing or healthcare. However, if you’re exploring healthcare careers, volunteering at a hospital along with having appropriate high-school classes on your resume will set you up to continue to dive deeper in to healthcare opportunities as you prepare to apply and then after admission to college.
Once you’ve started volunteering, be respectful, approach staff about your interest (“hello, i’m a high school student and a volunteer at the hospital interested in learning more about what it’s like to be an MD, RN” etc.) and ask whether you can shadow them for part of their shift. They might say no! Especially because they’re busy and possibly understaffed. This is why it’s important to work through the volunteer department and what it offers. The volunteer department might already have a program in place that allows you to shadow. You’ll figure that out once you become a volunteer.
It may take a few months of shifts before you’re able to secure a shadowing opportunity with a doctor or nurse. That’s ok. It takes time to build relationships and have busy people be willing to support you as they go about doing a very stressful job. The good news is you’ll be spending time in a healthcare environment. It will expose you to what it’s like to work in a hospital. It’ll expose you to other career options. There are a lot!
If you’re successful in securing a couple shadowing/observation shifts at the hospital, consider asking these doctors or nurses if they can refer you to other colleagues (at the same hospital or maybe a clinic or other outpatient setting) who may be able to provide you with more shadowing opportunities.
Be flexible, be responsible, and approach volunteering at the hospital as a learning opportunity to learn about all careers available to you. Medicine (direct patient care, in general) is hard work, though rewarding. There are other satisfying, challenging, high-paying roles that don’t require (7 years minimum) of post-college education. I encourage you to talk to others you meet while you volunteer, whether that’s in the orientation you’ll go through or random staff that you see walking around while you’re volunteering.
Here are a couple hospitals in Houston, as well as their volunteering pages to get you started:
HCA Houston Healthcare has a “VolunTEEN” program: https://www.hcahoustonhealthcare.com/about-us/volunteers
MD Anderson Cancer Center: https://www.mdanderson.org/donors-volunteers/volunteer.html
Good luck!
elle m.
Thank you so much for the advice
Kennedy
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