How To Become A Medical Internship: What It Is and Career Path

What is a medical internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA)

Medical internships expose selected applicants to various specialties like emergency medicine, pediatrics, surgery, and pathology, and gynecology. Interns participate in evaluating patients, managing patients in emergency, and assisting in procedures. They also help medical professionals in performing vital tests and recording physical examinations. The medical internship expands the clinical knowledge and skill set of interns. It also develops their confidence, resourcefulness, and network. Medical interns become competent in interdisciplinary communication and participation. With this, they are able to manage common medical and surgical conditions.

A medical internship is a one-year program for medical students. To apply, you must at least be a college student enrolled in a professional medical degree. You may also be required to pass an assessment exam. Applicants must possess analytical, attention to detail, and interpersonal skills. Some programs require evidence of taking the Hippocratic Oath. Accepted applicants earn about $56,071 per year, which is an hourly rate of $26.96. This pay ranges between $51,000 and $60,000.

What general advice would you give to a Medical Internship?

Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA)

Faculty Coordinator of Allied Health/Medical Assistant Program Director, Midstate College

-LIKE- People who enjoy working as a Medical Assistant do it because they get a
great satisfaction from help other people. They are often the first contact with the
patient in the medical facility, which sets the tone for the rest of the visit.
They feel good making sure that their patients have the right information that they
need, the appropriate medical care they need, and helping patients feel better.
Good problem-solving skills, compassion, understanding, patience and keeping
up with a fast-paced office is very rewarding.
-DISLIKE- Some Medical Assistants have determined that there are
area/tasks/etc. that they dislike, listed below are some of these things:
 You’re always around people who are sick
 Long work hours can include 10 or 12-hour days
 Lower starting salary, which is usually based on education and
experience level
 Having to deal with stressful situations and difficult patients
 Dealing with patients who are angry, cranky, anxious or not feeling well
 Working under pressure from extremely tight deadlines

ScoreMedical InternshipUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $50,843

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.9

Growth Rate 16%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.82%

Asian 9.74%

Black or African American 10.34%

Hispanic or Latino 24.19%

Unknown 4.74%

White 50.17%

Gender

female 75.07%

male 24.93%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress Level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.4

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

8.6

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a medical internship

Explore medical internship education requirements

Most common medical internship degrees

Bachelor's

39.1 %

Associate

22.9 %

Diploma

11.4 %

Start to develop specific medical internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	34.23%
Patient Care	10.01%
Vital Signs	5.88%
Surgical Procedures	4.32%
Surgery	4.15%

Complete relevant medical internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medical internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical internship resumes.

Gain additional medical internship certifications

Medical internship certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific medical internship certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for medical interns include Medical Assistant and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA).

More About Certifications

Research medical internship duties and responsibilities

Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Room patients, vitals, schedule, injections, clia waive tests, womb care ,
Learned how to triage patients and make sure they are ready for the doctor to see.
Organize and fill patient medical records, telephone triage, schedule appointments, and provide patient education.

Prepare your medical internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical internship resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medical internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Medical Internship Resume templates

Build a professional Medical Internship resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Medical Internship resume.