An internship can be thought of as testing the water before you dive right into a career choice. Students from every academic field sign up for internships to understand the practical implications of their chosen field before starting their professional life. Internship program is usually for a certain period where the students apply to the desired organisation which is looking for interns. It is a win-win situation for students as well as for the organisation. The students get practical knowledge whereas the organisation gets some helping hands to make the workload easy at low or no additional cost. As a student, pre-med internships the organisation is able to understand the quality and capability of the students beforehand - whether they match the organisation’s requirements or not. Let's understand these internships in detail.

1. Develop knowledge of the medical industry: An internship allows students to get familiar with all the fields and departments the industry works in and understand its principles and standards.

2. Gain experience in a specific field: Students can gain knowledge in a particular department of interest which will help them further to choose their field of specialisation.

3. Building a professional network: When they are working as an intern with hospitals, doctors, and staff they are building a network in their future professional field, which may prove of great value in their future endeavours.

4. Adds value to resume: An internship is usually a major attraction to your resume for future potential employers.

5. Shows the real face of the industry: It is a shift from college to an actual hospital, from friends and teachers to patients and hospital staff. Internships show the students how the real world works and how to survive in it.

There are various types of areas in the medical field where an intern can apply for a role. Below we have listed different types of internships for a pre-med student:

1. Clinical lab intern This intern will work in the laboratory to conduct research, experiments, observatory studies, and other scientific methodology. They have to deal with healthcare data by collecting, recording, organising, testing, analysing, interpreting, and discussing to learn about healthcare issues and solve them. They usually work under advanced professionals and assist them with their ongoing studies.

2. Pre-med summer intern This internship is specially designed for premed students and is done at hospitals, universities, or other healthcare facilities. Usually done during the summer breaks under the supervision of a doctor and helping him in their duties.

3. Public health intern An internship at a public healthcare institution like a local hospital or a community helping setup such as rural health clinics. The students work in the area of social health education, community health, and policy issues.

5. Nonprofit intern An internship in an NGO will come with various leadership opportunities, and the freedom to try new approaches and take social initiatives in the field of healthcare. The organisation may or may not work as a proper hospital but it comes with a lot of skill improvement scope.

6. Blood bank intern Usually, a blood bank intern is responsible for duties like collecting blood, preparing samples, and aiding in labs.

7. Pharmacology intern Interns in this field learn about drugs and how they affect human bodies. They learn how certain medicines work and how they are used to treat illnesses and injuries. Studies about toxicology and biological chemistry are also part of this internship program.

1. Cancer treatment intern This is a great opportunity for pre-medical students who are interested in making their career in treating and curing cancer. Some special organisations and hospitals solely specialise in cancer treatments and research related to it.

2. Neuroscience intern When students enrol for an internship in a neuroscience department they learn about the ways a human brain functions. They learn how a brain injury is treated, understand human behaviour, and how to treat psychiatric disorders. They thoroughly learn everything about the human nervous system and further knowledge about brain science.

3. STEM intern STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics components of healthcare issues, products, and services. Molecular biology, cell and tissue mechanics in plants and animals, bioengineering, biochemistry and biophysics, and computational biology are all part of this internship.

4. Anesthesiologist intern These interns work closely with anaesthesia faculty during their anaesthesia, intensive care, ultrasound/quality improvement, and newly introduced pain medicine rotations.

5. Environmental health intern Environmental issues and the effect of human actions such as pollution on environmental resources are studied by premed students under this internship program. Environmental health directly or indirectly affects human health. Air quality, sanitisation, and waste disposal are three important areas of study for interns.

6. Paediatrics intern The paediatric sub-internship is a clinical experience that permits students to assume primary responsibility for patients while being directly supervised by second- and third-year residents and attendings. Sub-interns work on any of the core ward teams.

1. Research intern Research interns work under industry professionals to gain experience and knowledge of a particular field or practice.

2. Education intern Some organisations work on providing knowledge of healthcare practices, medical issues, and the well-being of others. It can be a school, university, or community centre. Interns here are responsible for coordinating training programs, creating curriculums, and encouraging learning among people.

A pre-med student, on the basis of their interest, can apply to institutions or organisations according to the type of internship they provide. Although all types of these internships may not be available in India we are working towards making advanced internships available to students here. We want medical students in our country to learn and grow as doctors and these internships can help them observe and encounter. Combining education with in-depth exposure to a broad range of medical concerns that affect many individuals from many walks of life is the key to success in the medical sector. Medical internships are something every medical student should consider because they also look great on resumes. We want to encourage aspiring doctors to stay ahead of the curve in the medical industry by planning sincerely for a medical internship.