How can high schoolers explore medicine and health careers?
High schoolers curious about medicine can see the real work long before medical school. Ways in include hospital volunteering, health science summer programs, HOSA chapters, research projects and first aid training.
Medicine is a broad field: nursing, physical therapy, public health, pharmacy, emergency services, lab science and more. Volunteering in clinics, senior living centers or blood drives shows you what the daily work feels like. HOSA (Future Health Professionals) runs health science events for high school students, and science fairs that lead to Regeneron ISEF include health and biomedical categories.
What should you look for in a pre-med or health program for teens?
Be careful with expensive programs that promise a look inside medical school. Ask what students actually do: hands-on skills practice, supervised time around patients, or mostly lectures. Check cost, length and minimum ages, since many hospitals only take volunteers from a set age. Free or low-cost options, like volunteering and HOSA, often give more real experience than a paid summer program.
How can you start exploring health careers this month?
- Take a CPR and first aid course from a local provider.
- Ask your local hospital, clinic or senior living center about teen volunteer roles.
- Join or start a HOSA chapter at your school.
- Interview three people in different health jobs about what a normal day looks like.
- Read about one public health issue in your community and write a one-page summary with sources.
Where Nextreks fits
Volunteer roles, interview notes and research summaries belong in your Nextreks portfolio, which starts private. When a supervisor confirms your work, the portfolio can say so by name. Health work depends on durable skills like empathy and communication, and Nextreks Challenges give you practice in both.
Programs in Explore are run by other organizations. Nextreks lists them but does not run or guarantee them.