The Internships

About the internships

About LHSI

Each year has a group of 75 interns at 60–70 different sites. We have opportunities throughout the year to meet and talk with the other interns to compare experiences and share what you're learning. The interns working right now represent 20 different majors spanning nine schools on the IUPUI campus. They have a few in-person meetings as a group and participate in two online discussions. They also present their work at the end of the year as part of the LHSI Internship Showcase during Engaged Learning Week. It's a great way to show off what you've learned and to be recognized for your hard work. 

Through internship work and program workshops, you will: 

  • Think about and express who you are as a teammate and professional right now and who you would like to be in the future 
  • Do career-related, hands-on work and explore different job and career options 
  • Decide what you want to do next and make a plan for what else you need to do to reach your goals 
  • Be a productive and thoughtful part of a professional team 

Many interns stay at the internship site as a part-time job they can keep until graduation. You'll be prepared to take on more responsibility at your site and be a leader in the workplace. Even if you choose to move on to another experience instead, you'll carry those skills and leadership ability with you to other internships, research opportunities, service learning projects, and part-time jobs. 

Your supervisor can be a lifelong connection and is usually open to being a professional reference or writing really strong letters of recommendation for graduate or professional school based on the work you did. Most interns work around 300 hours during the internship. That's a good amount of time to see your work ethic and abilities! 

Remember: you get out of this what you put into it. These results may vary based on your effort. Simply being accepted to LHSI or another experience isn't enough to earn good outcomes. Are you ready to learn and grow? 

Check out this video for a quick overview of the LHSI program:  https://youtu.be/HVMhC_HyuhM 

Program requirements

The Life-Health Sciences Internship Program has a strong reputation on campus because our interns leave the internship prepared for next steps. To accomplish this, it's not enough to just do some hours at an internship site for the school year. We will spend the year helping you think about your career options, explore who you are as a professional, and reflect on your learning and growth throughout the year. 

By taking part in LHSI, you are agreeing to participate in our required activities and reflections. This includes: 

  • Goal setting worksheet: set your own goals for the year 
  • Fall and spring discussion boards: chat with other interns about what you're learning about yourself and the professional workplace 
  • Fall and spring site visits: meet with the LHSI director and your supervisor to discuss your growth 
  • ePortfolio: write about your career goals, your internship, and what you're learning. This is great to later share with people writing you letters of recommendation 
  • final poster or presentation: showcase everything you've learned at the end of the year; we also have activities and worksheets to prepare you to break down this task into smaller, more manageable deadlines 

The skills and outlook I developed during my LHSI internship still shape the way I look at problem solving in the clinical environment.

Jeremy Sherer, LHSI 2010–11, IUPUI Graduate 2013

Internship outcomes

SkillsApply and articulate transferable, career-related, or research-specific skills.

GoalsExplain and analyze you career goals.

IdentityDemonstrate an emerging professional identity.

Words of advice

"Use your internship experience to help inform your career decision. You may have firm aspirations to attend medical or graduate school, but don't be surprised if you discover new interests that open unexpected pathways. Use your internship as a time to explore your options, gain new perspectives, and decide what you would like to do postgraduation."

Ethan Joll, LHSI 2013–14, IUPUI Graduate 2016

LHSI travel grant

Competitive professional development grants are available to assist current and former Life–Health Sciences Internship Program students with expenses for a conference, webinar, meeting, or other professional development opportunity. A maximum of $300 will be available for registration fees for virtual experiences and $1,500 for in-person travel; the amount of the award is based on actual expenses.

Virtual professional development grant application

Apply for the virtual registration grant

Indiana University travel policy

Travelers (employees and nonemployees) will have 60 days from the return date of their trips in which to submit travel reimbursement claims. Reimbursements submitted after this 60-day period will be considered taxable income. After 120 days from the return date of the trip, there will be no reimbursement. Indiana University Foundation funds may not be used for the reimbursement after this time period.

Reimbursement of travel expenditures

Review all IU travel reimbursement policies:

Travel reimbursement deadline policy

. . . take advantage of the travel grant. Networking within IUPUI and other internship sites opens many doors for you, and traveling to a scientific conference will open even more.

Emily Atkinson, LHSI 2014–15, IUPUI Graduate 2016

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