Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Practice clinical skills and map healthcare pathways in this 2-week program for high school students at UC Berkeley.
Rated 4.8 out of 5 for classroom experience by students who took this course in 2026.
Course Description
What technical skill, teamwork, and preparation does healthcare demand? Students explore the field through action-based simulations led by experts. Suturing, dissection, trauma response, clinical diagnostic simulations, case studies, and discussion introduce both the practical and interpersonal demands of health professions.
Clinical scenarios require students to think across disciplines. They analyze information, propose responses, and consider how different professionals contribute to patient care. The course also compares pathways through undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate study, helping students see how medicine, nursing, physician-assistant practice, research, and healthcare administration involve different preparation and responsibilities.
For the capstone, students design a case-based presentation focused on a chosen health profession. Fictional cases trace people from diverse backgrounds through academic choices, extracurricular preparation, specialization, research, entrepreneurship, leadership, wellness, and public-health challenges. Each student develops and presents at least one case within a team format. Discussion, practice, and feedback help students check their reasoning and improve how they communicate the work.
This two-week full-day academy is part of Summer Discovery at UC Berkeley, held on the university’s campus. Students spend the full program focused on one intensive academy. The academy is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect focused academic work with campus life, growing independence, and clearer direction about what students may want to study or pursue next.
A supplemental course fee of $195 applies.
What Will You Do?
• Practice suturing and other supervised technical skills
• Participate in trauma-response and clinical diagnostic simulations
• Use case studies to analyze healthcare decisions
• Explore how multidisciplinary teams coordinate patient care
• Research education and branching paths for a health profession
• Create and present a case-based career pathway project
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Apply critical thinking and teamwork in simulated clinical scenarios
• Compare the responsibilities and education of selected health professions
• Develop and present a case-based healthcare career pathway
Students leave with simulation experience, a completed career-pathway case, and clearer insight into preparation for health professions.
Why Clinical Medicine Skills Matter
Healthcare skills combine technical accuracy with communication and teamwork. A trauma or diagnostic scenario asks students to notice relevant information, coordinate roles, and explain why a response is appropriate. Practicing in simulations makes the reasoning visible and creates room for feedback.
Career-pathway research adds long-term perspective. Students learn that health professions require different education, responsibilities, and strengths. Connecting those facts to a case helps them make more informed choices about coursework and exploration without treating any one pathway as the default.
Who Should Attend?
This academy is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and are interested in medicine, patient care, biology, emergency response, research, or healthcare careers. It fits students who want both practical simulation and structured exploration of professional pathways.
Participants should be ready for supervised hands-on activities, case discussion, teamwork, and research. High school biology, basic physiology, and basic anatomy are helpful preparation. Students should approach clinical topics with care, curiosity, and respect. Success depends on careful preparation, steady participation, and respect for classmates’ perspectives throughout the course.
Recommended Program
Based on students surveyed in Summer Discovery’s 2026 UC Berkeley program.
Why UC Berkeley?
UC Berkeley gives high-school students the opportunity to pursue serious academic exploration in a campus environment shaped by scientific inquiry, new ideas, and an active connection to the wider Bay Area. The Berkeley Hills, distinctive architecture, and green spaces make the experience feel different from an ordinary school routine.
Students learn alongside peers, become more independent, and experience the pace and possibility of university life. The Bay Area context adds exposure to a region influenced by research, technology, entrepreneurship, culture, and public debate. For families, the value is not campus prestige alone. It is the combination of academic depth, community, and a student gaining clearer insight into the subjects, environments, and possible directions that genuinely motivate them.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive