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SUMMER SCHOLARS

Summer Experience for College Students

Following a 3 year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, we are thrilled to offer the Summer Scholar Program again in 2023!

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2023 UPDATES

The program starts TUESDAY, June 20, and ends Friday, August 11.

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Thanks to the generosity of the Health Care Foundation of Ventura County, we're pleased to offer a summer stipend of $3000 per student!

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See "Important Dates" below for additional information.

Interviewee

THE APPLICATION WINDOW IS CLOSED FOR 2023

Please check back in January 2024 for info on the 2024 summer program.

ABOUT THE SUMMER SCHOLARS PROGRAM

The Summer Scholar Program at Ventura County Medical Center is a unique summer internship designed to expose undergraduate college students to the many careers within the healthcare field by immersing them in a professional medical environment.  For nearly 50 years, this competitive program has introduced students to both clinical medicine and hospital-based research by working alongside VCMC medical faculty and the residents of the nationally recognized Ventura Family Medicine Residency Program. We look forward to selecting 5 undergraduate students to participate in this full-time, intensive 8-week opportunity (Monday - Friday, 8 am - 5 pm).  We pride ourselves on accepting participants who are responsible, mature, and committed.  We aim to promote each student’s interest in becoming a healthcare professional, one we hope will eventually return to serve our community.  To this end, priority is given to residents of Ventura County. We also encourage students from underrepresented groups in health care to apply.

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Description

Summer Scholars are placed with faculty preceptors who coordinate opportunities for the students to observe and participate in a variety of patient care settings.  Student Scholars attend teaching conferences at the Medical Center, make rounds with medical staff and observe patient interactions and procedures as appropriate. Program participants will experience emergency room visits, trauma resuscitations, live births, surgeries, autopsies and more.  In addition to shadowing both primary care and specialist physicians, Scholars spend time with physical therapists, dietitians, clinical lab specialists, substance abuse counselors and other health care professionals.  Each Student Scholar will also participate in a quality improvement or clinical research project and present their findings on the last day of the program. A few Summer Scholars have had their research published or been invited to present their research at an annual Family Medicine Research Forum.  

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Many of our former Scholars cite this experience as a formative one in their pursuit of a career in health care. We have even welcomed graduates of the Scholars' internship into our residency program here at VCMC!

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Stipend

We are pleased to be able to offer each Scholar a stipend of $3,000 for the summer.

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Important Dates

  • The 2023 Summer Scholar Program begins Tuesday, June 20, 2023, and ends Friday, August 11, 2023.   

  • The application deadline for the 2023 program has passed. Please check back in early 2024 for information about the 2024 Summer Program.

  • Phone interviews:  March 20 - April 9, 2023.

  • Decision letters emailed:  Friday, April 14, 2023.​

TESTIMONIALS

Reflections from Summer Scholar Alumni

Jeremiah R. Dallmer
Loyola Marymount University, Class of 2016

 Spending the summer at Ventura County Medical Center as a Summer Scholar has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I have always wanted to be a doctor, but I never knew just how much until this summer. Through the program, I have had the opportunity to shadow many types of physicians and see all sorts of clinics, from Cardiology and Nephrology to Diabetes and HIV clinics. I had the chance to see dozens of different types of surgeries, from bariatric and OB procedures to trauma and oncology cases. Having the opportunity to do a clinical research project is also a tremendous learning experience. The thing that I am most thankful for, however, is without a doubt the incredible group of people at VCMC. The attendings are so welcoming and are amazing teachers. The residents are some of the nicest people I have ever met, and are so excited and enthusiastic to show us what medicine is like. I could not be more thankful for all the experiences and opportunities I was given through the Summer Scholars program. I also now am absolutely certain about the path that I have chosen to pursue, and that is a huge gift.

Summer Scholars 2012.JPG

INTERESTED?

Spend your summer with us

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