Hanley Center Summer Healthcare Internships

The Hanley Center’s summer Undergraduate Healthcare Leadership Internship (UHLI) Program has been designed to connect undergraduates with paid experiential summer internship opportunities in health and healthcare sites across Maine.

Through its extensive alumni network, the Hanley Center in partnership with Maine college and universities provides these opportunities as we look to keep young people in Maine. We believe that a combination of leadership development, paid internships, and mentoring is a powerful tool for addressing a portion of Maine’s growing healthcare workforce shortage. Established in 2011, the UHLI program is building a supportive network of young people who share a deep commitment to healthcare and Maine.

“After being paired with the MMA through the Daniel Hanley undergraduate internship program, I was elated to join this cohort of Mainers who strive to make our state a healthier place to live each and every day. Through work in external communications and research on Maine’s political campaigns and legislation, I leave this experience with a better understanding of my state, its healthcare landscape, and the people who make it tick.” – Michael Delorge, Hanley Intern 2022 at Maine Medical Association Click here to read MMA’s Newsletter and the details of Michael’s internship.

Host Sites

“We have participated in the Intern Program since its inception.  Each year we have two Hanley Interns and they have assumed responsibilities in several different departments within the practice.  Every one of our interns has been extraordinary.  Without exception they have all exceeded our expectations of the work (mostly projects) they completed during their internships.  Our interns have made an impact on our physicians and staff to the point where we have stayed in touch with our interns as they have pursued advanced degrees in medicine, physician assisting, etc.  We will continue to actively participate in the Hanley Interns program because of the value it delivers to our practice.”  Dan McCormack, MBA, COO, Martin’s Point  

Maine is the grayest state in the nation. We have relatively few young people preparing to enter our workforce to replace a growing percentage of people who are reaching retirement age. We need to do more to bring Maine’s young people into health-related careers and keep them in the State.

Through the Undergraduate Health Leadership Internship (UHLI) program, we offer undergraduate students an opportunity to experience health and healthcare environments in Maine. Building upon the Hanley Center’s experience in statewide health leadership initiatives, the UHLI program is helping deepen students’ commitment to healthcare and to Maine, showing them that our state will offer them tremendous opportunities to truly make a difference in their careers here.

Host Site Process:

  1. Talk to your team about hosting an intern. Gather their back-burner projects and tasks to compile for a description of what the intern would be doing at your site. Please also select a mentor who can provide guidance for the intern over the summer and connect them with other leaders within the organization.
  2. Decide on hours and a budget for the intern.
  3. Fill the Position Description form
  4. The Program Coordinator will be in touch in mid-March with a candidate chosen by the Selection Committee and their associated application materials.
  5. You are welcome to interview or otherwise vet the candidate. Most of our sites have grown to trust our process and accept the candidates chosen for them.
  6. We’ll connect you with your intern to discuss scheduling and other pre-internship considerations. The start date and timeline can be adjusted based on organizational need and intern availability. You’ll want to note the Orientation and Leadership Day dates.
  7. The Hanley Center hosts a UHLI pre-internship orientation to ensure your intern arrives ready to work.
  8. At the end of the program, expect a survey to gather feedback from our host sites.

If you’re interested in being a host site for a Hanley Center intern, please fill out our Host Site form.

Applicants

“This internship allowed me to introduce myself to Maine’s healthcare leaders and observe firsthand the state’s healthcare system at the polar opposite end of the state where I grew up and have grown accustomed to. I made connections that will last well past the time I leave college, earned opportunities for future summers and possibly for employment after college, and allowed myself to try something new. I have grown as a person and am more excited than ever to pursue my now solid ambitions, and I would not be in this place if it were not for my participation at InterMed. My summer helped me develop substantially as a person and clarified my goals and ambitions.” -DJ Flynn, Hanley Intern 2013 & Maine Track Tufts Medical School Student

If you are an undergraduate student interested in a healthcare career and you have strong ties to Maine, the Undergraduate Healthcare Leadership Internship (UHLI) program could be right for you.

Here are the goals of the program:

  • Provide paid summer internships for students with strong Maine ties with an interest in a healthcare related career in Maine.
  • Bring interns together for a pre-internship orientation to set them up for a successful internship experience.
  • Convene a Leadership Day for interns to provide leadership development, hear from healthcare leaders in Maine, and explore healthcare career and educational paths.
  • Connect interns with leaders of interest within their organization and across the Hanley Center’s network of alumni for mentoring and informational interview opportunities.
  • Offer opportunities to network with each other as future healthcare professional peers.

How to apply

  1. Review the posted position descriptions.
  2. Talk to your healthcare career advisor about your goals and the positions you are most interested in. You can pick up to three positions of interest for your application. At their discretion, the Selection Committee may consider you for additional opportunities. 
  3. Review the application. Many pieces are required and there is no way to save your work as you progress.
  4. Submit your application.
  5. Make a note of the Orientation and Leadership Day dates. These are mandatory for program participants.

Please note that these are paid positions and are not available for school credit.

Apply Here

Selection Process
  1. Each intern applicant that submits a complete application, including a letter of recommendation, transcripts, essays and the application (including acknowledgement that s/he has reviewed the application with her/his health career advisor), prior to the deadline is considered for the specific positions s/he applied for.
  2. A committee of health career advisors from Maine colleges and universities meet with the Hanley Center’s internship program leaders to review and discuss each applicant’s transcripts, experience, essays and apparent fit for the roles s/he applied for.
  3. Preference is given to intern applicants that:
    1. Demonstrate a strong connection and commitment to the State of Maine
    2. Demonstrate a strong academic record and GPA above 3.3
    3. Have completed two full years of undergraduate studies
  4. The committee assigns 2 interns for each open internship, a first and second choice.
  5. Once those matches are made, the Hanley Center shares the name of the first choice to each host internship site.
  6. It is up to the host sites to determine if they will interview the candidate, pass on the candidate and ask for the application packet of the second candidate, or accept the first candidate without an interview.
  7. Once the sites make their decisions, the Hanley Center notifies all of the applicants of their status, either accepted or not accepted.
  8. Accepted interns are given a short window of time to accept or reject the offer.
  9. Acceptances are final, and applicants that accept offers and attempt to decline the offer at a later date, will not be eligible for future consideration in the Hanley UHLI program.

 

Dates

2024 UHLI Program Dates

October 25            Advisor Virtual Information Session

January  3             Postings Available Online for Applicants

January  10           Student Virtual Information Session

February 18            Internship Applications Due

March-April     Positions will be finalized. Thank you for your patience!

May 1                      Positions Filled, Applicants Notified

May15                     Hanley Program Orientation, Location TBD

July 24                   Summer Leadership Day at the Bowdoin College Schiller Coastal Studies Center

August TBD                 Potential – Intern Poster Session*

*This is a new addition to the program and we will share more details as we know more.