Navigating Health Administration Internships: Requirements and Opportunities

Health administration internships offer invaluable hands-on experience, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and the practical realities of the healthcare industry. These internships serve as a crucial stepping stone for aspiring healthcare leaders, providing opportunities to develop essential skills and gain exposure to various facets of healthcare delivery.

Who Should Apply? Ideal Candidates

These programs are designed for students pursuing master's degrees in health administration, public health, social sciences, and business. However, a specific major or prior healthcare experience may not be required for general administrative experiences. Instead, programs often seek candidates demonstrating key skillsets such as problem-solving, communication, and self-management.

Undergraduate intern candidates must be pursuing a bachelor's or associate's degree from an accredited institution. High school intern candidates must be currently enrolled in high school or equivalent education program.

Essential Skills and Qualities

Successful candidates typically possess a combination of academic knowledge, practical skills, and personal attributes that enable them to thrive in a healthcare setting.

Problem Solving: The ability to adapt, seek information to understand the root cause of an issue, show attention to detail, prioritize work, and raise thoughtful questions.
Communication: Actively listening to others, clarifying assumptions, and adjusting communication method and style appropriately to the situation.
Self-Management: Clarifying how you fit into the team and your goals, demonstrating self-awareness, accepting constructive feedback, and adjusting based on what you've learned.
Data Analysis (for specific tracks): Demonstrated statistical analysis skills, modeling, and sometimes coding language understanding.
Leadership skills: Ability to work with people of all backgrounds and at all levels.
Teamwork: Ability to establish and maintain a spirit of cooperation and respect, flourish in an unstructured environment, and always engage in professional and ethical conduct.
Diversity and Inclusion: Ability to foster a diverse and inclusive environment and is respectful of others’ feelings and perspectives.
Analytical and Critical Thinking: Strong analytical, problem-solving and systems-level thinking skills; crafts innovative solutions in collaboration with other key stakeholders.
Organizational skills: Strong organizational skills and customer service orientation.
Composure: Ability to remain calm in difficult and stressful situations.
Following Directions: Ability to follow organizational direction and infer best approaches to apply within Administrative Fellows’ scope and project areas.

The Application Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

Securing a health administration internship typically involves a multi-stage application process designed to assess candidates' qualifications, skills, and fit with the organization.

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Application Filing: Be mindful of application deadlines. For example, the application-filing period is now closed for the 2025 Summer Internship Program. A completed application and resume are required to apply. Cover letters and letters of recommendation are not required.
Application Completion: As part of the application process, applicants will complete a written section. Students are expected to not solely rely on the input of AI or Chat GPT. Applicants will be able to indicate preference of areas the are interested in within the application. Documents that may be required include:
- Statement of Purpose
- Unofficial Transcript
- Resume/CV
- Two letters of recommendation (addressed to "Dear Search Committee")
Screening: Applicants are selected based on their resume and application. Applicants will be required to answer questions such as:
- What motivates you to choose Healthcare and SHC for your internship?
- Share a situation when you encounter a problem and how you solve it.
- Describe a time when you receive constructive criticism.
The intern program team may conduct further screenings to clarify points on your resume or prompts, confirm your availability for the summer, and answer questions from you.
Recommendation: The intern program team recommends you to a department/preceptor that they feel is a good match. Applicants can express preferred areas for their internship assignment as part of application but we do not accept requests from candidates to be in a specific department.

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Interviews: Preceptors or hiring leaders may conduct interviews virtually with the top candidates recommended for their position based on the application. Behavioral (short answer) interview questions.

Internship Program Structures

Internship programs vary in structure and duration, but most aim to provide a well-rounded experience that complements academic studies.

Duration: Internships can range from a few weeks to several months, with some programs offering year-long fellowships. For example, the UCLA Health Administrative Fellowship is a challenging and rewarding 12-month program designed to provide qualified early careerists with training in leadership, hospital management, and administration in all aspects of an academic medical center.
Hours per Week: Interns are often required to commit to a minimum number of hours per week. For example, interns at Mayo Clinic are required to commit to a minimum of 20 hours a week for the duration of the semester with minimal flexibility in the last two weeks, regardless of a student's academic internship requirements.
Hybrid Models: Some organizations have adopted hybrid internship models incorporating a mixture of in-office and remote work. The work locations for student assignments will depend upon the nature of the work, its importance, the essential nature of onsite access, and the viability of performing the work remotely.
Project-Based Learning: Many internships involve working on specific projects that align with the organization's goals and priorities. For example, the UCLA Health Administrative Fellowship is a 12-month project-based and action-oriented program that encourages learning across all aspects of health care delivery. As an Administrative Fellow, you will attend various executive leadership meetings, be involved in an array of enterprise-wide projects and initiatives, and lead different projects for the organization.

Available Internship Opportunities

Health administration internships span various healthcare settings and functional areas, offering students a wide range of experiences to choose from.

Hospitals and Health Systems: Internships within hospitals and health systems may involve rotations through different departments, exposure to administrative functions, and participation in quality improvement initiatives. For example, the Massachusetts General Hospital provides an excellent learning environment for healthcare management students interested in careers in hospital leadership. Each summer, Mass General accepts a limited number of master’s degree students for administrative internship opportunities.
Clinics and Ambulatory Care Centers: Interns in these settings may focus on operations management, patient access, and healthcare finance.
Insurance Companies: Opportunities within insurance companies may involve data analysis, claims processing, and healthcare policy.
Government Agencies: Internships with government agencies may focus on public health initiatives, regulatory compliance, and healthcare policy development.
Legal Services: Law students enrolled at FAMU College of Law are invited to apply for legal internship positions with the Office of Legal Services at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. As a legal intern at Mayo Clinic, you will be engaged in a unique culture where patient care, education, and research are housed on the same campus in a robust healthcare setting. Interns assist in-house attorneys, outside counsel, and other Mayo Clinic staff members on substantive projects in many aspects of the law.
Instructional Design: Instructional design graduate students at Purdue University are invited to apply for this internship position with Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Interns will work closely with curriculum and assessment professionals in a unique academic-medical environment. Gain hands-on experience in educational program development, course design, faculty workshops, and more. This internship is designed to complement academic studies, providing a practical foundation for future careers in instructional design.

Academic Credit and Requirements

Many universities require or recommend internships for students pursuing degrees in health administration or related fields.

Credit Requirements: The number of credits awarded for an internship varies depending on the institution and program. For example, at Penn State, Bachelor of Science in Health Policy and Administration students can earn three (3) credits per 320 hours, while Masters in Health Administration students can earn three (3) credits per 300 hours.
GPA Requirements: Some programs have minimum GPA requirements for internship eligibility. For example, Penn State requires a minimum GPA of 2.0 for most formalized programs for Bachelor of Science in Health Policy and Administration students and a minimum GPA of 3.0 for Masters in Health Administration students.
Coursework: Some programs require specific courses to be completed before an internship. For example, at Penn State, Bachelor of Science in Health Policy and Administration students must complete HPA 101, HPA 301 or 301W, HPA 310, HPA 332 and HPA 390 or 390W with a “C” or better grade.
Learning Plans: The student and the agency supervisor jointly will develop an individualized learning plan that outlines the specific internship placement and the type of work to be done during the placement. This must be completed before the application/registration can be approved. The internship adviser must approve the learning plan.
Grading Criteria: Students are typically graded on various factors, including weekly logs, time sheets, work plans and assignments, presentations, research papers, and evaluations by the host site supervisor or mentors.

Waiver of Internship Requirement

Some programs may offer waivers of the traditional internship requirement for students with extensive healthcare experience. For example, at Penn State, students who have extensive health care experience may request departmental approval to waive the traditional internship (HPA 395). Examples of this are acquiring 10+ years of progressive work experience as a: practice manager, nursing home administrator, consultant, financial analyst, operations manager, hospital corpsman, etc. In waivers and substitution of the traditional internship, students will complete a department approved 400-level course or an independent study/research project overseen by a faculty member in the department.

Benefits of Completing an Internship

Health administration internships offer numerous benefits that can significantly enhance students' career prospects.

Practical Experience: Internships provide hands-on experience in a real-world healthcare setting, allowing students to apply classroom knowledge and develop practical skills.
Networking Opportunities: Interns have the opportunity to network with healthcare professionals, build relationships, and expand their professional network. For example, the internship program at Massachusetts General Hospital is designed to promote a sense of camaraderie among the administrative interns. Interns attend meetings and program events together, in addition to professional networking events and self-organized social outings throughout the summer.
Career Exploration: Internships can help students explore different career paths within health administration and identify areas of interest.
Skill Development: Internships provide opportunities to develop essential skills such as communication, problem-solving, leadership, and teamwork.
Resume Enhancement: Completing an internship can significantly enhance a student's resume and make them more competitive in the job market.

Examples of Internship Programs

Several organizations offer structured health administration internship programs.

UCLA Health Administrative Internship and Fellowship Programs: UCLA Health offers various internship and fellowship programs, including the Administrative Internship, Administrative Fellowship, and Administrative Fellowship in Health System Finance. These programs provide opportunities to gain experience in leadership, hospital management, and healthcare finance.
Mayo Clinic Health Care Administration Internship Program: Mayo Clinic’s Health Care Administration Internship program provides both undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to spend time at a healthcare organization to perform administrative tasks in preparation for future leadership positions.
Massachusetts General Hospital Administrative Internship: Mass General accepts a limited number of master’s degree students for administrative internship opportunities each summer.

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