☀️Introduction

In this article, we’ve curated a selection of exciting internship opportunities that we believe will be particularly relevant and beneficial for medics. Summer is a great time for medical students to gain experience, explore new career paths, and even earn extra income.

Before diving in, it’s worth checking with your university to see what internships or summer programmes they offer—some may even be paid.

In addition to formal internships, hands-on clinical roles like working as a Healthcare Assistant (HCA) or supporting a local pharmacy can provide valuable frontline experience. These positions not only build confidence on the wards but also offer insight into the healthcare system from different perspectives.

Whether you’re looking to boost your CV, try something new, or gain practical skills, there’s something here for everyone.

🤔Why Do a Summer Internship?

Summer provides a valuable period of free time that can be used not only for rest but also for personal and professional development. Taking on an internship or summer job is an excellent way to make productive use of this time.

An internship offers the chance to explore new career interests, gain insight into different roles, or even eliminate potential paths that may not be a good fit. Regardless of the outcome, it is a valuable learning experience that can enhance career clarity and inform decisions about future specialty choices.

Many internships also provide the opportunity to earn an income, making them financially rewarding as well as professionally enriching.

Participants often meet like-minded individuals, develop transferable skills, and identify their strengths and passions.

Engaging in internships can also help to distinguish applicants in an increasingly competitive field and may open doors to alternative career opportunities beyond traditional clinical roles.

📢Many Opportunities Aren’t Advertised

Not all internships or roles are posted online – many of the best opportunities come from being proactive. Often, it’s about approaching people directly, building connections, and actively seeking out roles.

Platforms like LinkedIn are excellent for this. They allow you to connect with professionals in industries you’re interested in and start conversations that could lead to shadowing, internships, or collaborative projects. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask how you can get involved.

In this podcast with Dr Puru Sharma, he shares his experience of interning at Candesic and gives valuable advice on how to seek out unadvertised opportunities.

💡Tips When Applying to Internships

  • Plan early. Start searching for summer internships as early as November to avoid missing out on deadlines.

  • Worried about having little to no experience? Don’t stress — everyone starts somewhere. Tailor your CV to highlight your strengths, extracurriculars, and the qualities that make you a strong candidate.

  • Connect with past interns on LinkedIn. Ask for advice and insights about their experience. Not only will this help you prepare, but it’ll also show interviewers that you’ve done your research and are genuinely interested.
    • Some of our speakers from our More than Medics Mondays series are part of organisations that offer internships so make sure to attend our webinars to hear directly from them, ask your questions and connect!

  • Don’t fear rejection. Every application builds your skills, so if you get rejected, ask for feedback. You only need one ‘yes’

  • Create a ‘Deadline Tracker’. Use a spreadsheet to keep track of deadlines, requirements and stages (applied, interview, offer response etc).

  • Tailor every application. Never send a generic CV or cover letter. Mention why you’re interested in that particular organisation/internship – show you’ve done your homework by reading their website, mission statement, recent work etc).

💫Summer Internships list:

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, but a curated selection of summer internships we believe will be particularly relevant and valuable for medical students!

💼Leadership and Management

  • Candesic: Offers summer internships in a management consulting firm based in London that specialises in healthcare, pharma, life sciences and medtech.

  • NHS England: A paid long-term internship for undergraduates in underrepresented groups. To raise awareness to the types of careers within the NHS from managing projects to financial management.

📚Research and Academia

  • Amgen Scholars: Contribute to university research projects in Europe and Cambridge.

  • UNIQ+: A 7-week funded research internship in Oxford. An opportunity to experience life as a postgraduate researcher.

  • UCL: An 8-week summer research internship based in UCL although some remote/hybrid work may be possible. A salary at the London minimum wage is provided.

  • Crick: A 9-week summer student training programme where you’ll get hands on experience in scientific research. Funding equivalent to the London minimum wage is provided.

  • ICR: The institute of cancer research funds a six to eight week studentship. Undertake a research project with UK academics and clinicians with a stipend of £350 per week.

  • ISMB: A research fellowship where mentoring, professional training, and extensive laboratory equipment is provided.

  • NIHR: Offers summer internships in primary care research where students will join established research teams.

  • Wellcome: An 8-week paid summer internship for undergraduates, working with experienced staff in research on health challenges.

  • In2research: A 1 year programme all over the UK, designed to increase access to postgraduate research for people from either low socioeconomic groups or under-represented groups.

🌍Policy/Public health

  • WHO: Internship positions vary by date, type, and location.

🔬MedTech

  • HDRUK: An 8-week paid summer internship on health data science, open to all black people.

📖MedEd

🩺Medicine

  • Radiology: Cardiovascular and International Radiology society have several institutions in Europe that offer internships to medical students wanting to learn what it would be like to work as an interventional radiologist.

  • NMD: Summer internship for around 8 weeks, working in a Laboratory setting in Oxford. Funding for accommodation will be provided.

  • Get in touch with doctors and ask them for shadowing experience in your local area.

🏥Other

  • Cancer Research UK: Offers a 12-week paid internships in a variety of locations including London, Oxford and Cambridge with in person and remote roles. You can choose your area of interest, from policy to to technology.

  • Metmuseum: The Met Museum offers a 10-week summer internship in New York for undergraduates to explore the intersection of science and art. Interns work in a laboratory conducting scientific analysis of cultural heritage objects.

And finally, remember: it’s also important to take time to relax during your summer breaks. They won’t last forever—so rest, recharge, and balance productivity with downtime.

We hope you enjoyed this article! If you have any suggestions or comments do let us know below!