If you’re a high schooler based in Virginia and looking for an accessible way to explore medicine consider a local program.
Virginia offers great opportunities for high school students interested in medicine to gain hands-on experience, develop skills, and explore health careers before college. With world‑class institutions like VCU, UVA, Virginia Tech, ODU, and university hospitals, you can find programs that range from research internships and clinical exposure to labs and public health workshops.
These medical programs allow you to delve into topics such as anatomy, epidemiology, patient care, bioinformatics, or health outreach. Many also include mentorship from professionals, opportunities to build networks, and hands‑on work that strengthens your college resume.
We’ve compiled 13 medical programs for high school students in Virginia that stand out for being accessible, academically rigorous, and relevant to future medical or health science paths.
12 Medical Programs for High School Students in Virginia
1. Dental Careers Exploration
Location: VCU School of Dentistry, Richmond, VA
Cost/Stipend: Free (all materials provided)
Dates: July 13 – July 17
Application Deadline: May 2
Eligibility: High school students who have completed 9th grade, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and have US citizenship or permanent residency
In this five-day initiative, you will participate in immersive workshops and lab activities that provide a brief introduction to the role of a dentist. You will explore the education pathway and the job responsibilities associated with different roles within the industry. Whether you plan to become a dental hygienist, a dental specialist, or haven’t decided yet, DCE provides training and resources to prepare you for a career in dentistry with lab activities that include tooth carving, dental impressions, suturing, digital dentistry, and more.
2. Health Science Explorers Camp
Location: Rappahannock Community College, Warsaw, VA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: July 7 – July 11
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 to 12
Rappahannock Community College also offers a free summer camp where students can explore various medical professions. These include nursing/EMS, dental, DMS, physical therapy, and pre-med. While you won’t be stationed at a hospital, you will visit community healthcare centers and have the opportunity to engage in activities that give you a deeper understanding of the field. The five-day program also helps you plan your pathway toward your chosen role in the medical field.
3. Health Careers Immersion Camp
Location: VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital, Essex County, VA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: June 9 – June 12 | July 21 – July 24
Application Deadline: Rolling until full for summer
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10 to 12
With options to attend this camp during your summer or winter break, the Health Immersions camp is organized by the Rappahannock Community College and VCU Tappahannock Hospital. If chosen for this four-day camp, you will gain exposure to diverse careers in the healthcare industry through visits to various departments. It will help you understand the daily duties of different medical professionals. You will also have the chance to earn the Basic Life Support and Stop the Bleed certificates. Only 10 students are accepted for each cohort.
4. Health Sciences Academy
Location: Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences, Old Dominion University and other partnering schools (Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Northampton County Public Schools)
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: July 14 – July 25 for the summer workshop
Application Deadline: Spring semester of ninth-grade
Eligibility: 9th-grade students with a good academic and attendance record
This is a multi-year program that begins with a two-week workshop during your ninth-grade summer break. The summer workshop offers an introduction to the healthcare field, teaching you suturing, CPR, ultrasound, and other essential medical techniques. Following this, you will continue the program through 12th grade by attending college-level classes, volunteering at clinics, completing capstone projects, and participating in hospital shadowing opportunities. The Health Sciences Academy will help you gain a deeper understanding of the healthcare field while building connections with professionals in it.
5. Bayside High School Health Sciences Academy
Location: Bayside High School, Virginia Beach, VA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: Ongoing from 9th – 12th grade
Application Deadline: January 8
Eligibility: 8th and 9th graders living in Virginia Beach
This Health Science Academy is another multi-year program that provides you with both the college and career preparedness needed to become a professional in the medical field. As part of the program, you will get to enroll in college-level classes and partake in lab activities, in which you learn anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. Based on your specific interests, you can also opt for elective classes that include veterinary medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmaceuticals, and more. You will also have the opportunity to network with medical professionals and shadow them.
6. ScholarDocs
Location: Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: October 16 – November 20 (Wednesdays from 6 PM to 7:30 PM)
Application Deadline: October 1
Eligibility: High school students in Southwest Virginia
For those interested in both medicine and science, ScholarDocs is an after-school program that pairs you with mentors to explore careers in these fields. Run by medical students, you’ll spend your evenings exploring various medical specialties, including neurology, cardiology, physiology, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to visit cardiology and cadaver labs and attend simulation events. The program actively seeks to increase representation in science and healthcare by encouraging applications from students of minority backgrounds.
7. Public Health Youth Ambassador Program (PHYAP)
Location: Fairfax County Government Center, Fair Oaks, VA
Cost/Stipend: Free (all materials, like a laptop and medical supplies, are provided)
Dates: Ongoing during school year
Application Deadline: September 4
Eligibility: 10th to 12th graders living in Fairfax County
Organized by the Fairfax County Health Department, this program trains you to become a Community Health Worker through its evening and weekend sessions. As a participant, you get to choose the High School and Young Adult Opioid Reduction Training Program that educates you on the risks of opioids or the Young Adult Mental Health Worker Program that focuses on mental health in young adults. PHYAP comes with perks such as meeting with professionals in the healthcare field, certifications that make your college applications to medical school stand out, and more. The course will include video assignments, activities you can do at home, and a project demonstrating how you would address a health issue of your choice.
8.Summer Residential Governor’s Schools (SRGS)
Location: Radford University Carilion, Roanoke, VA (for Medicine and Health Sciences)
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: Late June to late July
Application Deadline: December 13
Eligibility: 10th and 11th graders residing in Virginia
The Academic SRGS is a summer program catered to students whose exam scores consistently fall in the 90th percentile. It offers many subjects to choose from, including medicine and health sciences that expose you to different subject areas within the field. By enrolling in this residential program, you will stay on campus and engage in seminars, lab activities, individual and group research projects, and field trips. You will also receive mentorship from physicians and scientists while getting to work alongside them and learn how to make medical decisions.
9. Virginia Tech’s Veterinary Medicine
Location: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Cost/Stipend: $4,295 (scholarships available)
Dates: June 13 – June 21, June 25 – July 3, or July 7 – July 15
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: High school students from ages 14 to 18 who have a good academic record and completed at least one year of high school
If you’re considering a career in veterinary care, this summer program by Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and NSLC can be a good option. It covers fundamental skills in animal medical care through interactive classes covering toxicology, anatomy, pathology, and clinical diagnostics for animals. You also get to visit veterinary clinics, where you will observe and gain knowledge about injections, surgical preparations, physical exams, catheterization, suturing, and bandaging. There are also seminars by professionals in the field that give you more perspective on a career in veterinary medicine
10. Pharmacy Summer Scholars
Location: MCV Campus (VCU School of Pharmacy: Robert Blackwell Smith Building), Richmond, VA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: July 7 – July 11
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: High school students
Every year, the Pharmacy department at Virginia Commonwealth University selects 30 students who demonstrate a strong interest in becoming pharmacists to attend this summer event. In this one-week program, you will explore the different career paths within the pharmaceutical industry. You will interact with pharmacy school students and visit labs, giving you a chance to gain insights into earning a degree and having a career in this particular healthcare field. You also get to conduct non-sterile compounding.
11. Mini-Medical School
Location: University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: September 10 – October 22 (seven consecutive Wednesday evenings)
Application Deadline: August 18
Eligibility: Open to anyone, including high schoolers, interested in the medical profession
Described as “an abridged version of medical school,” the Mini-Medical school is a seven-week program conducted with the help of the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s staff and students. When undergoing the program, you will get an outlook on attending medical school and having a career in medicine. Your sessions will include training in research labs, patient interviews, and seminars in health literacy. You will learn various topics, including clinical reasoning, innovation in surgery, application of artificial intelligence, pediatric cancer, infectious disease, anatomy, diabetes, and more.
12. Health Services Mentorship Program Student Researcher Entry Level
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: October – April (academic year program) | June – August (summer session)
Application Deadline: July 1 – September 1 (academic year program) | opens March 1 (summer session)
Eligibility: High school students with no previous research experience (only students from eligible schools can apply for the academic year program; see full list here)
In this mentorship program, you will receive training in conducting research in healthcare and medicine. The curriculum will include lectures and meetings with PhD students who will guide you in completing your research project, which you will present at the HSMP Colloquium, scheduled at the end of the program. By participating in this program, you will explore how to tackle problems that you would typically face when working on a research project and how to modify your research methodology accordingly.. You will also participate in group discussions, where you will conduct an in-depth, critical analysis of past research papers.
13. Summer Teen Volunteer Program
Location: UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, Manassas, VA
Cost/Stipend: Free, but participants need to purchase uniforms for $20
Dates: June 16 – June 27, July 7 – July 18, and July 21 – August 1
Application Deadline: April 11
Eligibility: High school students who have completed 10th grade and are at least 16 years old
This Summer Teen Volunteer Program is suitable for high school students who want to get a glimpse of working in a hospital environment. During this two-week volunteer experience, you will be assigned duties in various areas of the hospital, including the emergency department, guest services, surgical services, materials management, physical therapy, registration, and other departments as needed. Once you complete your full schedule, you will be awarded a completion certification, which allows you to continue volunteering during the school year as well. Students who contribute three hours per week are eligible for a scholarship from UVA Health Auxiliary.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source – UVA Health Prince William Medical Center