If you’re a high school student in Oklahoma interested in a medical career, summer medical programs can offer valuable hands-on experience and exposure to the healthcare field. These programs allow you to explore different medical disciplines, work directly with professionals, and develop skills that can set you apart in college applications and future career pursuits.
Oklahoma’s universities, hospitals, and research centers provide summer programs that introduce you to the world of healthcare through clinical activities, research projects, and interactive learning. These experiences help you understand the demands and opportunities in medicine, giving you a head start on your academic and career goals.
Here are 9 of the best summer medical programs in Oklahoma for high school students, offering opportunities in fields like biomedical research, clinical work, healthcare leadership, and more.
9 Best Summer Medical Programs for High School Students in Oklahoma
1. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)—Medicine Track
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs in areas like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and psychology. For those interested in medicine, options include courses like Neuroscience, Medical Sociology, or Neurodegenerative Diseases. You can choose either quantitative or qualitative research methods. After selecting your track, you’ll collaborate one-on-one with a professor or PhD scholar from a leading university to develop a 20-page research paper suitable for journal submission. The program provides specialized field knowledge, expert guidance, a recommendation letter, and feedback to improve future projects and college applications. Apply now for this unique opportunity!
Subject Areas: Medicine, STEM, Economics, International Relations, Philosophy, Political Theory, History, and more
Location: Virtual
Application Date: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer and Fall cohorts.
Program Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September).
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! A few tracks require prerequisites, see here.
2. Oklahoma Christian University’s Honors Summer Academy
The Honors Summer Academy at Oklahoma Christian University is a one-week program for talented high school students. Students interested in medicine can take the Introduction to Microbiology course, where you’ll learn which microbes contribute to health and which cause disease. The cell biology course could also be useful as it explores how healthy cells turn cancerous.
Subject Areas: Engineering, Microbiology, Cybersecurity, Cell Biology
Location: Oklahoma Christian University, Oklahoma City, OK
Program Dates: July 13 – 18
Cost: $600
Eligibility: High school students in 9th–11th grade with one of the following:
- A 21 ACT
- 1040 on the new SAT
- 1020 on the new PSAT (including Reading, Math, Writing)
- or 20 on the preACT
- If you haven’t taken these tests, you can apply with a teacher or counselor recommendation
Application Deadline: No information available
3. Veritas AI + Medicine deep dive
The Veritas AI Deep Dive is a 10-week online course for students interested in AI and medicine. You’ll learn how AI is used in healthcare, work on disease diagnosis projects, and enhance medical scans using AI models. The first two weeks introduce AI in medicine, followed by topics like medical data preparation, EDA, and Convolutional Neural Networks in weeks 3 to 5. The final weeks cover image segmentation, regularization, transfer learning, and clinical evaluation basics. Prior experience with Python or completion of the AI Scholars program is required.
Subject Areas: Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare, Medicine, Machine Learning, Computer Science
Location: Remote
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Cost: $2,290 for deep dives (Need-based financial aid is available)
Eligibility: High school students. Students applying to the AI Fellowship program must complete the AI Scholars program or provide evidence of previous experience in AI and Python
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort.
4. CURE Jr. Program
The CURE Jr. Program is a one-day event for rising Oklahoma high school juniors and seniors to explore careers in cancer research and medicine. Topics covered include laboratory and clinical research, biomedical engineering, clinical trials, physical therapy, surgery, community research, and college preparation. This program will give you an overview of potential career options in medicine.
Subject Areas: Medicine, Cancer Research, Biomedical Engineering
Location: Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Program Dates: June 21
Cost: No information available
Eligibility: Rising Oklahoma high school juniors and seniors
Application Deadline: June 12
5. Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation: Fleming Scholar Program
OMRF’s Fleming Scholars program offers paid opportunities to work in biomedical research labs on individual projects under senior scientists’ supervision. Over 8 weeks, you’ll contribute to research that can impact the fight against human diseases. You’ll also attend professional development workshops and seminars. At the end of the program, you’ll write an abstract summarizing your research findings and deliver a scientific presentation.
Subject Areas: Biomedical Research
Location: Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK
Program Dates: June 2 – July 25
Cost: Scholars who complete the full summer program will be paid $5,000
Eligibility: High school seniors who are Oklahoma residents, at least 16 years of age, and U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Application Deadline: February 1
6. Mash Camp
MASH Camp (Math and Science in Health Careers) is a 4-day summer camp for students interested in pursuing healthcare careers. The camp helps you explore careers in medicine through hands-on activities that blend math, science, and interdisciplinary fields. The aim of this camp is to explore how different fields influence medicine and healthcare. This interdisciplinary focus makes it a good choice for future medicine practitioners.
Subject Areas: Mathematics, Science, Healthcare
Location: University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK
Program Dates: June 17 – 20
Cost: No information available
Eligibility: Current 9th–12th graders
Application Deadline: May 1
7. SPARK Summer Program at the University of Oklahoma
SPARK is a free, in-person summer program offering high school students hands-on medical activities and discussions with faculty from different specialties. You will have the chance to perform medical procedures on mannequins under the guidance of medical practitioners. While all high school students can apply, upperclassmen, including graduating seniors, are given priority.
Subject Areas: Medicine
Location: OU Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Program Dates: July 22 – 26
Cost: Free
Eligibility: High school students, preference will be given to upperclassmen
Application Deadline: No information available
8. Club Scrubs at the University of Oklahoma
Club Scrubs is a program for high school students who want to explore healthcare careers. The program offers interactive activities led by healthcare professionals. You will learn about various healthcare fields, working with medical students, faculty, and staff. Club Scrubs aims to encourage students to pursue higher education and STEM careers. The program is held on Tuesday evenings.
Subject Areas: Medicine, Healthcare, STEM
Location: OU Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Program Dates: No information available
Cost: No information available
Eligibility: High school students
Application Deadline: No information available
9. VOLUME Summer Program at Bethany Children’s Health Center
The VOLUME Summer Program offers high school students hands-on experience in healthcare and allied fields like medicine, nursing, therapy, pharmacy, social work, and healthcare administration. The program includes skill-building activities, educational sessions from hospital staff, and job shadowing to prepare for healthcare careers. This program is unique for introducing students to healthcare administration, another healthcare career that high school students usually have less exposure to. You will have the chance to interact with pediatric patients, and you will also attend sessions to help you prepare for college.
Subject Areas: Healthcare, Medicine, Nursing, Administration
Location: Bethany Children’s Health Center, Bethany, OK
Program Dates: June 2 – 19
Cost: No information available
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
Application Deadline: March 26
Image Source – Horizon Logo
