Health Excellence & Academic Leadership

The HEAL internship program introduces middle and high school students of color to career opportunities in the healthcare field. Students gain exposure to health careers through hands-on experiences such as shadowing doctors, nurses, and other clinicians; skills workshops; seminars; and field trips. The internship experience includes:

• Department Rotations: At the core of the HEAL experience are rotations through a variety of clinical departments at Highland Hospital, such as Labor and Delivery, Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Pediatrics, Radiology, Respiratory, and more!
• Intro to Health Careers: Students are introduced to a broad spectrum of health careers and learn about the education and training requirements to pursue their career goals.
• Professional and Life Skills: Students attend classes and workshops covering topics such as professionalism, collaboration, and teamwork, public speaking, and other skills that are critical to success in any career.

HEAL offers in-school, after school, and summer internships for students in grades 8-12. All internships take place at Highland Hospital in Oakland. Students must be enrolled in an Oakland public school or be an Oakland resident.

2019 Health Careers Summer Internships (PDF)

HEAL Program 2019 Young Men of Color Health Internship (PDF)

For more information contact: healprogram@alamedahealthsystem.org

Summer HEAL runs weekdays from mid-June to late July each year. Through our partnership with Oakland Unified School District, you can earn 10 elective credits upon successful completion of the HEAL internship and receive a stipend or college scholarship. Learn more about Summer HEAL.

Mentoring in Medicine & Science

Mentoring in Medicine & Science (MIMS) offers career exploration programs for students of color in high school and college that provide exposure to a breadth of health careers while providing meaningful mentorship and leadership development. MIMS offers the following programs:

Summer Intensive Internship

The Summer Internship is a five week, full-time program in which students will observe direct patient care at Highland Hospital and other clinics in the East Bay, interact with a broad spectrum of health professionals, and attend skills workshops and leadership development seminars. In addition to the clinical segment, students will learn about the prevention and management of health issues disproportionately affecting low-income communities. The summer internship also includes:

• Shadowing in health fields, such as emergency medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics, internal medicine, public health, nursing, and/or physician assistant (depending on availability)

• One-on-one career advising

• Life-coaching sessions and team-building activities

• Civic-engagement opportunities and field trips

Health Scholars Program

The Health Scholars program exposes high school students to a breadth of health careers while providing targeted mentorship from health professionals of color. Workshops cover topics from basic anatomy to first aid and nutrition and are taught in a relatable and real-world framework. The program is currently offered to ninth-grade young men of color at Oakland Technical High School and students in the alternative education program at Dewey Academy in Oakland.

For more information, visit: mimscience.org

FACES for the Future

FACES for the Future is a two-year program that motivates and prepares youth from varied backgrounds for entry into careers in all areas of the health professions. FACES offers two programs at Alameda Health System:

• Alameda Hospital school-year program for 11th and 12th graders enrolled in Alameda Unified School District
• San Leandro Hospital school-year program for 11th and 12th graders enrolled in San Leandro Unified School District

FACES provides students with unique opportunities to learn from healthcare professionals in hospital settings and explore career options in the health professions. Additionally, students benefit from academic enrichment opportunities, including individualized tutoring and college preparation activities, leadership training, and multi-faceted psychosocial support services, including one-on-one case management. The program also provides support to alumni by assisting them with job/internship placements, academic/career guidance and ongoing life coaching.

For more information contact: Reatha Conn, reatha.conn@phi.org or visit: facesforthefuture.org

Alameda Health System Volunteer Program

Alameda Health System’s Volunteer Program offers volunteer opportunities at AHS’s hospitals for individuals 18 years old and older and out of high school. Volunteers assist with a wide variety of tasks, beginning in clerical and customer service roles and progressing to placements in clinical departments as they gain familiarity with and experience in the hospital. Volunteers are required to commit to a minimum of one four hour shift per week over 12 months. For more information, visit: alamedahealthsystem.org/giving/

IF YOU ARE IN COLLEGE…

Mentoring in Medicine & Science

Mentoring in Medicine & Science (MIMS) offers career exploration programs for students of color in high school and college that provide exposure to a breadth of health careers while providing meaningful mentorship and leadership development. MIMS offers the following programs:

Summer Intensive Internship

The Summer Internship is a five week, full-time program in which students will observe direct patient care at Highland Hospital and other clinics in the East Bay, interact with a broad spectrum of health professionals, and attend skills workshops and leadership development seminars. In addition to the clinical segment, students will learn about the prevention and management of health issues disproportionately affecting low-income communities. The summer internship also includes:

• Shadowing in health fields, such as emergency medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics, internal medicine, public health, nursing and/or physician assistant (depending on availability)

• One-on-one career advising

• Life coaching sessions and team building activities

• Civic engagement opportunities and field trips

Health Scholars Program

The Health Scholars program exposes high school students to a breadth of health careers while providing targeted mentorship from health professionals of color. Workshops cover topics from basic anatomy to first aid and nutrition and are taught in a relatable and real-world framework. The program is currently offered to ninth-grade young men of color at Oakland Technical High School and students in the alternative education program at Dewey Academy in Oakland.

For more information, visit: http://www.mimscience.org

Health Career Connection

Health Career Connection (HCC) is a national program that connects talented, diverse college students with summer internship opportunities through which they gain the necessary exposure, experience, and mentorship to discover and launch health careers. HCC connects participants with dynamic role models, fosters community support, and provides specialized training to inspire and prepare program participants to become change agents in their organizations, communities, and our nation. Each year, Alameda Health System places HCC summer interns in a variety of healthcare administration positions in departments such as Quality and Risk, Health Information Management, Accreditation, and Medical Staff Services.

For more information, visit: healthcareers.org

East Bay Innovations

East Bay Innovations (EBI) is partnering with HealthPATH to prepare students with developmental disabilities for employment through internships at Highland Hospital. Students enrolled in Oakland Unified School District’s Young Adult Program are placed in hospital departments such as Environmental Services, Materials Management, and Food Services where they learn transferable vocational skills and gain work experience that will prepare them for future independent employment. The EBI model includes intensive job coaching, provided by an on-site job coach, so that students are supported to be successful throughout the program.

For more information contact: Jessica Cutter, jcutter@eastbayinnovations.org or visit: eastbayinnovations.org

ELAM Research Fellowship

The ELAM Research Fellowship provides two to three month fellowships to graduates of the Latin American School of Medicine, an international medical school in Havana, Cuba. ELAM fellows are recently graduated physicians who are returning to the United States to pursue their medical residency. During their fellowship, fellows conduct clinical research in Highland Hospital’s Internal Medicine Department and gain valuable experience in a U.S. acute care setting. The fellowship provides the fellows with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the U. S. medical system, learn current medical guidelines, and gain skills in hospital or clinical research methods.

For more information, contact: Dr. Judith Wofsy, jwofsy@alamedahealthsystem.org

Community Health Workers

Alameda Health System partners with the Alameda County Healthcare Services Agency’s Health Coaches training program and Emergency Medical Services Corps program to recruit candidates for positions as Community Health Outreach Workers. This partnership provides employment opportunities to under-represented young adults with barriers to employment while filling critical community health worker roles with diverse individuals from Alameda County who come from the communities AHS serves.