High School Internships

Medical Career Collaborative

The Medical Career Collaborative (MC²) is a health careers pathway program designed to provide youth, starting in high school, the opportunity to gain experience and exposure to the world of healthcare and access to ongoing support in their pursuit of healthcare professions.

From paid internships and mentorship to certification opportunities and career coaching, MC² broadens students’ horizons and builds a strong foundation for a future career in healthcare.

Many graduates of MC² have gone on to pursue careers in health and are now working as nurses, doctors, researchers, laboratory scientists, public health professionals, medical interpreters, technicians and more!

What to Expect in the Program

Accepted students begin their journey with MC² as high school juniors with programming taking place during students’ junior and senior years and beyond.  Programming activities include:

• Field trips, workshops and trainings
  High school juniors and seniors participate in monthly field trips, workshops, and trainings to learn about the variety of fields within healthcare, build their skills towards a career in health or medicine and earn mini health related certifications.

• Internships
  Juniors complete a 100-120 hour paid internship at Children’s Colorado or Denver Health.  Students are placed in a department within one of the hospital systems and are paired with hospital staff to gain valuable hands-on experience working in the field.

• Mentoring
  Each student is matched with a mentor(s) at Children’s Colorado or Denver Health with whom they work alongside and learn from throughout the internship component of the program. Mentors represent a wide variety of healthcare professions and may include those working as CNA’s, technicians, nurses, paramedics, therapists, physicians, and more!

• Seminars
  Throughout the internship students participate in weekly seminar sessions facilitated by MC² staff, where students share about their internship experiences, discuss topics important to healthcare and learn medical terminology.

• Post-secondary assistance and guidance
  Seniors receive assistance with their goals toward post-secondary education.  Students are supported in searching for schools and programs, learning about financial aid, searching for scholarships, gathering letters of recommendation, and writing college and scholarship essays.

• Access to ongoing professional supports
  As students graduate from high school and become alumni of the MC² program, alum have access to career coaching and assistance, healthcare related certification programs, and professional development and networking opportunities.

Learn more from our MC² Program Roadmap and FAQ’s.

What Students Are Saying

MC² provided me with an opportunity to experience what working in the medical field was like before even graduating high school. Such a chance is rare and helps students like me to better determine what their passions are and what they want to pursue within the healthcare field. – Renicia

As a first generation student heading off to college, I thought that becoming a nurse or doctor or any other role in healthcare would be difficult, but being in MC² allowed me to believe I can be who I want to be with the support of the people I have met along the way in the program.  – Shelnna

MC² has not only helped me learn so much about medicine but has opened up so many new opportunities, goals and support systems for me! – Isha

How to Apply

MC² is offered at Denver Health and several Children’s Hospital Colorado locations, including Anschutz Medical Campus (Aurora), North Campus (Broomfield), South Campus (Highlands Ranch) and Colorado Springs. Applicants only need to fill out one application to be considered for any of the MC² program site locations.

Applicants must be current high school sophomores at the time of application and attend school in the Denver metro or Colorado Springs areas. If accepted, students begin the program at the start of their junior year.

Please note: the program is not able to make exceptions to the eligibility criteria. Students who do not meet the eligibility criteria for MC² may be interested in exploring Denver Health's Job Shadowing Program or these other health care related opportunities. 

In an effort to build a workforce that better represents the communities served in healthcare, MC² focuses on recruiting students from groups that are underrepresented in the healthcare industry.

Students are chosen by a committee that reviews all applications. The selection committee takes the following into consideration when selecting participants for the program:

• Student essays
• School activities
• Community involvement
• Student need
• A recommendation
• GPA

The 2025-2026 MC² application is now closed.  Please check back early to mid-January 2026 to access the 2026-2027 MC² application. 

Contacts

Marisa Valeras, Program Director, marisa.valeras@dhha.org or 303-602-2685

Madilyn Snyder, Program Coordinator, madilyn.snyder@dhha.org or 303-602- 2271