High School Internships: VISTA Pathways to Health Careers

While not an acronym for the program name, each letter in VISTA stands for an important piece of the program framework:

• Vision: See what’s possible.
• Insight: Discover what moves you.
• Support: Build connections that move you forward.
• Tools: Develop skills for the future.
• Access: Open doors to opportunity.

The Medical Career Collaborative (MC2) at Denver Health is now VISTA Pathways to Health Careers. While operating under a new name, the foundational program model remains the same.

VISTA is a two-year commitment during junior and senior year of high school. After graduation, alumni are encouraged to stay connected and can continue using VISTA’s career coaching, certification, scholarship, and networking support.

Junior year field trips are designed to expose students to a variety of careers in the healthcare industry. While offerings may vary each year, students can expect to explore at least 10 different career paths, which may include exposure to careers in emergency medicine, laboratory sciences, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, public health, and more!

Senior year workshops and trainings are designed to assist students as they prepare for life after high school. Students typically take part in writing workshops as they prepare to apply to colleges and scholarships, learn about financial aid, and earn mini health-related certifications such as Mental Health First Aid, Bleeding Control, Basic Life Support, and more!

Workshops, field trips, and trainings are typically held once a month during students’ junior and senior years. Events may take place after school on weekdays, on Saturdays for longer sessions, or during the day on school breaks and throughout the summer.

Applicants must be high school sophomores at the time of application, attend a secondary school within the Denver metropolitan area, and be authorized to work in the United States.

No. Applications are open only to current high school sophomores. Because VISTA requires a full two-year commitment, students who know they will graduate from high school early are not eligible.

No. Applications are accepted only while the application window is open, typically mid-January through early March.

Yes. Because VISTA includes a paid internship and prepares students for healthcare careers, participants must be authorized to work in the United States.

No. While there is no minimum GPA requirement to apply to the program, GPA is one of the factors the application review committee takes into consideration. A lower GPA will not automatically disqualify a student from progressing through the application review or interview process. The committee’s primary concern is ensuring that students are prepared to succeed academically and thrive in the program.

If a student has a lower GPA and would like to provide additional context, we encourage them to share their circumstances in the space provided on the application.

One. Students will have the opportunity to identify one recommender to complete the online recommendation portion of the application. Additional recommendations will not be reviewed or considered. The recommendation must be completed by an adult who knows the student through school, work, a community setting, or similar. Recommenders cannot be related to the applicant.

VISTA receives more than 200 applications each year for 30 spots.

Each student completes one internship session during junior year: a 12-week winter session (usually November to February) or a 7-week summer session (usually June to July). Both sessions require the same 100 to 120 hours. Students may indicate their preferred session, but final placements are determined by VISTA staff. When selecting a preference, students should consider which session offers the greatest availability to complete their internship hours and which they feel confident they can attend consistently to meet the program’s attendance requirements.

In addition to internship hours, students also participate in a two-hour weekly seminar during the internship period and continue to attend monthly VISTA workshops.

Internship schedules are coordinated between the student and their assigned mentor or mentors. It is important that students have enough availability to align with their mentor’s schedule in order to meet the minimum hours requirement for the internship.

Winter interns may miss no more than two weeks of internship. Summer interns may miss no more than one week of internship. If a student is considering another activity that takes place during their assigned internship session and would require them to miss more than the attendance policy allows, the student will need to decide between that activity and the VISTA internship.

Students have an opportunity to share their interests, but internship placements are ultimately decided by VISTA staff. Available departments vary by session and include both patient-facing and non-patient-facing areas. Potential internship options are shared during a pre-internship meeting.

Mentors represent a wide variety of healthcare professions and may include technicians, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), medical assistants (MAs), nurses, medical students, residents, physicians, public health professionals, social workers, therapists, researchers, and more.

Internship duties vary by department, but students can expect to observe, shadow, and assist staff as appropriate. Internships are designed to be a balance of learning and work, so students may be tasked with duties that are helpful to the department, staff, or patients.

Placement changes are rare. Students are encouraged to find learning in their assigned placement and to talk with VISTA staff about any concerns.

Yes. Students are paid for the hours they work during their internship, at no less than Colorado minimum wage. Pay applies to internship hours only.

Students can receive credit if they make arrangements with their own high school. VISTA will support the arrangement but will not create it for the student.

VISTA is now recognized by Denver Public Schools (DPS) as a vetted internship program and can potentially count for course credit. Contact your school counselor for more information.

Because of the patient population Denver Health serves, participants must have the same vaccinations Denver Health requires of its employees, including an annual flu vaccine (winter interns only) or an approved exemption. COVID-19 vaccination is encouraged, following CDC guidelines, but is not required.

No. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from all program activities.

Yes. Volunteering is separate from VISTA and requires its own application. Students are encouraged to wait until after they complete their internship to volunteer.