Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Practice clinical skills and explore healthcare careers in this 3-week medicine academy for high school students on UT Austin’s campus.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 for classroom experience by students who took this course in 2026.
Instructor:
Course Description
What information does a healthcare professional gather before deciding what a patient may need? Students begin with vital signs, medical-history interviews, and physical assessment. They then examine diagnostic tools used in radiology, imaging, pathology, laboratories, and clinical testing.
Three simulation-lab visits make patient-care techniques concrete. Students rotate through cardiac, respiratory, and general physical assessments, then encounter intravenous access, intubation, casting, splinting, suturing, biopsy, maternal simulation, and nursery scenarios. A Heartsaver First Aid certification experience and School of Nursing tour add another view of clinical preparation and teamwork.
The course also compares healthcare roles and workplaces. Students investigate medical specialties, primary care, hospitals, urgent care, rehabilitation, correctional medicine, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, and social work. Sessions on medical-school applications, interviews, residencies, service learning, and medical humanities help students evaluate both the practical work and the training behind different paths. A book presentation connects patient care with reflection and communication.
This three-week full-day academy takes place at UT Austin. 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. The program is developed by the University of Texas at Austin and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery.
A supplemental course fee of $595 applies.
What Will You Do?
• Practice taking vital signs, medical histories, and physical assessments
• Explore imaging, pathology, laboratory, and other diagnostic tools
• Rotate through cardiac, respiratory, IV, intubation, casting, and splinting simulations
• Practice suturing, biopsy, maternal-care, and nursery scenarios
• Complete Heartsaver First Aid certification and tour a nursing school
• Compare medical specialties, healthcare workplaces, and allied-health careers
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Explain how histories, vital signs, assessments, and diagnostic tools inform care
• Demonstrate selected clinical techniques responsibly in simulated settings
• Compare healthcare roles, workplaces, training paths, and patient-care responsibilities
Students will leave with Heartsaver First Aid certification, clinical simulation experience, and clearer direction for further study or careers in medicine and healthcare.
Students receive a University of Texas branded certificate of completion at the end of the program.
Why Clinical Medicine Skills Matter
Clinical reasoning brings observation, communication, and technical skill together. Taking a history or measuring vital signs only becomes useful when the information is accurate, organized, and connected to a patient’s condition. Simulation gives students a controlled setting for seeing how care teams assess problems and choose next steps.
The course also develops a more realistic view of healthcare. Comparing specialties, workplaces, and allied-health roles shows that patient care depends on many professionals. Discussing medical humanities and presenting ideas helps students consider empathy, ethics, and clear communication alongside procedures. These skills support future study in biology, health science, and patient-centered fields.
Who Should Attend?
This academy is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and are interested in medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, diagnostics, or other healthcare careers. It is especially useful for students who want to compare patient-care roles and experience clinical techniques before committing to a particular path.
Participants should be ready to follow safety directions, practice responsibly in simulation labs, discuss detailed health topics, ask questions of professionals, and reflect on the education required for different careers. Applicants must also complete the program application.
Why UT Austin?
Studying on UT Austin’s Forty Acres campus gives high-school students a substantive introduction to academic life in Austin, Texas. Courses draw from popular undergraduate fields and Austin specialties. Full-day academies offer concentrated study, while classes across the program take place in campus classrooms and laboratories and may include guest speakers and fieldwork around Austin.
The experience extends beyond class for both residential and commuting students. Residential students live in Jester Hall, eat at J2, a popular campus dining hall, and take part in activities that may range from a star party at PMA to time at Gregory Gym, Zilker Park, South Congress, or an Austin FC match. Students gain independence, meet peers, and leave with a clearer view of college life, possible directions for future study, and what it can feel like to be a Longhorn.
Who Should Attend?
This academy is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and are interested in medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, diagnostics, or other healthcare careers. It is especially useful for students who want to compare patient-care roles and experience clinical techniques before committing to a particular path.
Participants should be ready to follow safety directions, practice responsibly in simulation labs, discuss detailed health topics, ask questions of professionals, and reflect on the education required for different careers. Applicants must also complete the program application.
UT Austin Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive