Pre-Med Gap Year Internship 2026-2027

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

The Gap Year Intern reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

The Pre-Med Gap Year Intern offers a valuable one-year opportunity for Pre-Med Gap Year students to become immersed in the healthcare environment through clinical support work, research, and educational seminars. This program pairs participants with a clinical department to support a defined clinic role and focus on a clinically oriented research project, while participating in relevant meetings and lectures with the goal of preparation for medical school. This opportunity allows Pre-Med Gap Year students to develop a working knowledge of operations in a complex academic medical center, participate in enrichment activities and create a professional network with students, clinical and administrative staff, leadership, and physicians.

Gap Year internship opportunities extend across the NM system. Once an application has been submitted, candidates can expect a follow up request to indicate their position-specific preferences (location, role, hours, specific job requirements such as travel or attire, etc.) by providing a rank-ordered form. Clinical support roles offered include scribes, clinic assistants, immediate care assistants, patient liaisons, and technicians. Research varies by department, but some examples include quality improvement initiatives, patient enrollment in clinical studies, analytics, data collection, etc. Gap Years provide 32 hours of weekly clinical support and 8 hours of dedicated research time.

Responsibilities:

• Support department by fulfilling an assigned clinical/patient support role (see appendix outlining approved positions)
• Conduct a clinically oriented research project determined by department and overseen by the Program Manager in conjunction with the project sponsor
• Participate in all Pre-Med Gap Year Intern Program mandatory meetings, training and events
• Participate in all clinic orientation activities and meetings to ensure proper training and safe delivery of care. This may include competency testing, skills observation and additional training, if necessary
• Participate in faculty-led lectures
• Support the Pre-Med Internship Process by participating in the selection committee
• Students must participate for one year in duration (unless specified otherwise due to med school acceptance)
• At the conclusion of the internship, the intern will:
  • Present on research findings
  • Participate in a plan to successfully transition work at the direction of clinic and program leadership
• Refer to appendices for specific duties, responsibilities and tasks related to the assigned Pre-Med Gap Year Intern position

Program Start Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Orientation will take place on June 24th, 2026, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital campus in downtown Chicago. 

Program Time Commitment: 1 year duration

Required Documentation for Application Submission - uploaded as a PDF: 

1. Resume
2. Unofficial transcripts
3. You must also attach a one-page statement, in a Word Document or PDF format, addressing the following: 

• Describe why you have an interest in a career as a physician
• Describe an obstacle you’ve faced when working towards your academic, career, or personal goals and how you’ve worked to overcome it (including lessons you’ve learned through those experiences and how they will help you be successful in your career as a physician)
• Where you currently stand in your gap year (ie studying for the MCAT, applying to med schools, interviewing for med school, etc.)                 

Please note, to be considered for this role, you must submit ALL attachments after you apply.  After you apply, you will receive an automated email to set up an account.  Once your account is set up, you can log back into your application, please navigate to the upload section and press the "+" sign to submit additional attachments. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.

THE APPLICATION WILL CLOSE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2025. DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED AFTER THE CLOSING DATE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Required:

• Recent graduate of a Bachelor’s program
• Minimum 3.4 GPA (exceptions made on a case-by-case basis)
• Completion of relevant coursework (or efforts toward completion underway)
• Demonstrates intent to apply to medical school

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check.  Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.

Sign-on Bonus Eligibility: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position at NM may be eligible depending upon the job family.