WNC HEART Student Internship-Summer 2026

WNC HEART Student Internship – Summer 2026

TO BE CONSIDERED, APPLICANTS MUST UPLOAD THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS AT THE “UPLOAD RESUME” PROMPT IN THE ONLINE APPLICATION:

• Resume
• 500-word personal statement outlining interest in the health professions, future professional goals, interest in rural health and qualifications for the internship
• Transcripts (unofficial are acceptable)

*ALL documents must be uploaded in this portion of the application, even though it only specifically requests your resume.  Once you have moved passed the attachment screen, you cannot go back and upload any additional documents.

Dates: June 15th – July 24th (6 weeks)

Total Paid Hours: 20 hours a week for up to 120 hours maximum, including approximately 45 hours of shadowing, 45 hours of project work, 30 hours consisting of orientation, didactics, SIM Center experience, team building/peer learning, and final presentations.

Number of positions: 4

PRIMARY ACCOUNTABILITY:

The goal of this program is to create meaningful opportunities for students interested in a health professions career with a specific interest in pursuing a career in rural medicine.  Students are placed in a rural WNC primary care practice and participate in clinical shadowing, didactics, and a project at MAHEC. Students must be willing to drive up to one hour to their clinical shadowing site each week.

*Candidates must be from a rural North Carolina county. Preference is given to students from rural Western North Carolina.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Students will explore the world of healthcare through a range of clinical and non-clinical shadowing based on individual interests, participating in and presenting on a clinical/community project, and attending regular weekly didactics. The project work will be determined and overseen by a project leader at MAHEC. Students will gain a greater understanding of issues in rural medicine and the complex social factors rural areas face.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Superior organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Must have excellent problem solving, judgment, and decision-making skills with ability to work under minimal supervision.
• Must demonstrate ability to work with diverse work styles.
• Must possess an exemplary customer service attitude in all interactions within the organization and with clients, and practices.
• Must demonstrate discretion when dealing with sensitive medical information as is appropriate to position.

EDUCATION:

Candidates must have a sincere interest in pursuing a healthcare career in a rural community and be from a rural North Carolina county. Candidates must be a rising sophomore, junior, senior, or post baccalaureate student. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA

Members of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities, first-generation college students, and from disadvantaged/rural areas are strongly encouraged to apply.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

• At the start of the online application for the position, it is best to select “Apply Manually” or if applicable, “Use My Last Application.”  This will allow you to either add new documents or update existing ones if you have a previous MAHEC application on file.
• At the “Upload Resume” prompt, candidates must upload each of the three items below.  The online application does NOT allow you to upload additional documents once you have moved past the attachment (resume) screen.
  • Resume
  • 500-word personal statement outlining interest in the health professions, rural interest, future professional goals, and qualifications for the internship
  • Transcripts (unofficial are acceptable)

*Please note you ARE able to upload each file separately at the “Upload Resume” prompt.  Or you can choose to save the resume, personal statement, and transcripts as one file and upload.   

If you do not upload all three required documents when applying, please email them to asktalent@mahec.net

Applications close 2/8/2026 at 11:59 pm

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:

• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills required for work with department staff and clinical site.
• Experience with writing, research papers, and reports preferred.
• Must have intermediate skills using Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point.

SCHEDULE:

Regular attendance on-site for didactics and at your clinical shadowing location is an essential function of this position. Work hours will need to be flexible in order to respond to special work assignments, or evening and weekend activities, as requested.

At MAHEC, we strive to equip all team members with Total Rewards (pay + benefits) to honor their service, support their health, manage their financial security, build their career, and thrive.

All MAHEC employees and learners will be required to receive the Flu vaccine or have an approved exemption.

MAHEC Talent Management is located at 121 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, NC 28803. Equal Opportunity Employer.

MAHEC is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Employees who meet federal requirements may be eligible to have remaining student loan balances forgiven after 10 years of qualifying payments while working full-time at MAHEC.

If you are interested in this role, and you have related experience and qualifications, we encourage you to apply or reach out to AskTalent@mahec.net for support in your job search process. You could be the talent we are seeking for this or other opportunities.