The Paid Summer Internship for Health Profession Careers program aims to involve students from Cal Poly Humboldt and the College of the Redwoods who belong to traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. The program's goal is to offer these students valuable opportunities to observe and shadow professionals in primary care and geriatrics during the summer. These placements intend to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of various healthcare specialties. Alongside this exposure, students will enhance their professional skills and develop a deeper comprehension of the health challenges faced by rural communities. Throughout the summer of 2024, students will have the chance to shadow one or more health practitioners. The array of professions includes physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, administrative staff, and potentially other allied health professional support staff.
Our internship program consists of two major components:
1) Enrollment in a Supervised Internship course (BIOL482) at Cal Poly Humboldt. Students must complete the course with a C- or higher in Spring 2024;
2) A Paid Summer Internship to gain rural clinical observing/shadowing experience in Summer 2024.
Tuition fees for enrollment in BIOL 482 will be covered by the program. We aim to attract students from healthcare-underrepresented groups and individuals with historically marginalized backgrounds. Upon selection, students will register for BIOL 482 during Spring 2024 (or an earlier semester, for the one-unit course), where they will gain an introduction to the fundamentals of clinical internships and establish the framework for their upcoming internships.
Subsequently, students will be enrolled in the summer session of BIOL 482. This session will span 10 weeks and involve full-time shadowing at rural clinical sites, along with mentorship opportunities with healthcare professionals. Additionally, students will partake in weekly training sessions focused on career development. For their participation, each summer intern recruited into the program will receive a stipend of $4,500.
All interested applicants from Cal Poly Humboldt are recommended to meet with their Academic Advisor to see how this course can affect their major, minor and/or degree. In general, BIOL482 can substitute for the BIOL499/490 course at Cal Poly Humboldt.