The primary focus of HCC’s internship program is to provide students with exposure to health administration or community health-related work, although there are often opportunities for exposure to more clinically oriented projects (such as nurse administration). However, opportunities to solely shadow a clinician and/or perform clinical duties are not available through HCC (though it may be a small component of a more comprehensive internship experience).  Interns will also work on one or more projects that are assigned by their preceptor and contribute to the organization. Projects vary by organization. Students gain exposure to administrative functions including operations, finance, human resources, information systems, marketing, public relations, billing and compliance. Some placements are in specific clinical or administrative departments. Attempts are made to place students in organizations and on projects that suit the intern’s goals and interests; however final placement and project work is the decision of HCC and the host organization.

In addition to the internship orientation, students are also required to attend a number of HCC workshops which are intended to familiarize the intern with concepts of importance to public health practice (cultural competency, leadership, advocacy) as well as provide practical skills for further professional development (applying to graduate school, maximizing opportunities for career planning).  Students are also expected to attend site visits at their fellow interns’ organizations to gain exposure to areas of health other than their own internship.

Taking summer school classes, studying for standardized tests (such as MCAT or GRE), or assuming any other paid or voluntary positions are during the internship period are strongly discouraged.

3. How do the application, selection and placement process work?

HCC receives numerous applications from throughout the country. It is important that applicants are very specific about their geographic preferences and constraints. HCC offers internships in four (4) major regions: Northern California (Sacramento and Greater San Francisco Bay Area), Southern California (Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, Inland Empire, and San Diego), New England (Greater Boston and Connecticut) and New York/New Jersey. Selected applicants for each region are offered interviews with HCC. HCC will then select finalists to interview with one or more organizations and preceptors. Final placement decisions will be made by HCC, based on feedback from intern candidates and preceptors. The interview and selection process will take place between early March and mid-May. Efforts are made to finalize placements as soon as possible.

4. Who is eligible to apply?

HCC’s internships are designed for undergraduate students and recent graduates interested in health care, health administration, community health, public health, and public health aspects of clinical practice, as well as other health-related disciplines. Students from all majors can apply. Most HCC interns are college juniors, seniors or recent graduates. However, we also consider sophomores and freshman that demonstrate a commitment to healthcare, academic achievement, maturity and prior work experience.

HCC also acknowledges a need to support graduate students and career changers to successfully discover and pursue healthcare career interests. However, we have prioritized our focus on undergraduates because they often lack the organized exposure, experience, and support to choose health career directions. Therefore, we typically do not place graduate students in our internships.

Given HCC’s commitment to increasing diversity in the health professions, we strongly encourage students of color to apply.

International students are also able to apply; however, HCC and its sponsoring organizations cannot provide any documentation or support for immigration-related purposes (such as sponsorship or for work-visas).  It is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain appropriate permissions and fulfill any governmental requirements.

5. What are the criteria for intern selection?

HCC’s founders and staff have been placing interns for many years. Based on our experience, we use a combination of factors to select interns. Some of the key factors are: demonstrated interest and commitment to a health care and/or public health career; a strong interest in an health administrative and/or economics career direction; personal statement content and quality; reason for interest in health care and/or public health and level of motivation; overall grade point average (GPA) and GPA in health-related coursework; ability to work full time during the internship; ethnic background; past academic and/or professional experiences; geographic and transportation factors; potential fit with expectations of internship placement organizations. Host organization feedback after intern interviews is a major factor. We strive for a diverse group of participants in terms of majors, schools, interests, ethnicity, experience, and ambitions.

6. How much do interns get paid?

In addition, we encourage students to pursue work-study funds, if available, from their academic institution.  Please see question #7 for details, as instructions for pursuing work-study are identical to those for academic credit.

7. Can I get academic credit for my internship?

HCC encourages students to pursue academic credit for their internship (independent study, summer units, etc.)  However, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain all necessary information regarding prerequisites and conditions for receiving academic credit.  In addition, the student must provide all appropriate documents to HCC prior to the internship so necessary adjustments can be made to the internship experience (if possible) in order to meet all requirements of credit-granting institution.  This also allows HCC staff to review all documentation with advance notice to ensure that receipt of academic credit is appropriate and possible.

8. In what types of healthcare organizations are interns placed?

HCC places interns in highly reputable:

Many of the top healthcare organizations in the country host HCC interns, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Kaiser Permanente Medical Group and Hospitals, Blue Shield of California, WellPoint Health Plan, Alameda Alliance for Health, and Integrated Healthcare Association of California.

One of HCC’s primary goals is having interns work on projects or in organizations that provide services to under-served and ethnically diverse populations. Examples of these organizations include: Venice Family Clinic, Glide Health Clinic, Operation Access, Alta Medical Healthcare Services, Asian Health Services, Northeast Valley Clinics, The Insured the Uninsured Project, Community Outreach for Prevention and Education, and Ethnic Health Institute.

9. Do interns get jobs at the end of the internship?

Many HCC interns are hired on a full-time, part-time, or volunteer basis upon completion of the internship and/or their education. However, there is no guarantee of a job. The decision is the sole discretion of the placement organization. Many may not have the resources or need. Interns who work hard, demonstrate talent and positive attitudes and contribute to projects are more likely to be offered an opportunity of some kind or be connected to others in the organizations professional network. It is a wonderful chance to shine and launch your health career.

9. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in Northern California?

The following is a sample list of organizations and their locations:

11. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in Boston?

The following is a sample list of organizations and their locations:

12. I’m having trouble with my online application.  What should I do?

Make sure you have a valid username and password.  If you cannot log-in after creating an account (e.g. forgot your password, cannot log-in with correct username and password, etc), please email info@healthcareers.org

Please note that HCC does NOT send a confirmation email for accounts created or applications completed. 

If you are having trouble with filling in the fields in an appropriate format, saving your application, or other technical issues, please email info@healthcareers.org.

We strongly encourage applicants to save copies of application components onto an electronic document (such as MS-Word) before filling in the application fields.  In the small chance that our web-based application is having difficulty processing (due to volume of applicants using the application interface at the same time), this will allow you to access the application at a later time without having to type in the information anew.

Please note that submitting a resume or personal statement ONLY is not considered a complete application and will not be considered by HCC for the internship opportunity.  Please ensure that all fields of the application are filled out entirely and accurately.  HCC will NOT consider any information not requested in the application, such as transcripts or letters of recommendation.

In calculating your Grade Point Average (GPA), please include ONLY undergraduate courses for your overall GPA and any health-related courses (undergraduate or graduate level) in the health GPA section of the application.