Helping High School Students Explore Nursing Careers in a Summer Internship Program

Although nursing remains the most trusted profession in the United States, it is still challenging to attract high school students due to a perception that nursing may not be as intellectual, challenging, or prestigious as other careers in health care. Nursing professional development practitioners can create an opportunity to change this perception by engaging high school students through a summer internship program. The Student Career Opportunity Outreach Program embeds high school students in the hospital environment, enabling them to be a part of a clinical area and engage with nurses in a meaningful way. This article aims to explain the components of the summer internship program for high school students in a pediatric academic medical center and discuss findings from a survey exploring career choices pre- and postprogram as well as other outcome measures.