HPSP will pause recruitment and admission for 2027.
We appreciate your patience and we look forward to returning in 2028 with a refreshed HPSP that remains committed to its original mission of increasing access and equity in healthcare careers.
This page features one specific pathway to exploring and gaining experience in healthcare fields. Check out the Gaining Experience sections of our website for even more ideas!
About HPSP
The Health Professions Shadowing Program (HPSP) is an intensive, two-week shadowing and professional development experience designed to help increase access and equity in healthcare.
HPSP is jointly administered by the UW-Madison Center for Pre-Health Advising (CPHA) and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Office of Multicultural Affairs, and includes a wide variety of opportunities to shadow and network with health care providers, explore potential career paths, think critically about health equity, experience clinical settings, and grow as future leaders in healthcare. The program supports and requires significant personal and professional growth and commitment.
There are no costs to students associated with participation in this program! We will work with participants to coordinate transportation, tech, meal, and housing needs. For example, optional on-campus housing will be provided, and (in addition to a number of catered meals), a supplemental food stipend will be provided via participant Wiscards. After the summer program, HPSP alumni have access to additional advising and resources from CPHA, UW SMPH, and other professional programs while continuing their pre-health journeys.
HPSP is a limited capacity program. See below for a full list of eligibility criteria and selections considerations. We welcome applications from all interested students!
Capacity building through campus & community partnerships: Please know that we are always seeking additional clinical partners and additional funding opportunities, both of which are necessary to increasing program capacity. If you are interested in learning more about supporting HPSP or other professional development programming, please contact Molly Reinhard at molly.reinhard@wisc.edu.
On this page: Program Structure | Eligibility & Selections Considerations | How to Apply | Frequently Asked Questions | Photo Gallery
Hear more about HPSP from program director Dua Ci Khang via the Morgridge Center GridgeFridge podcast.
HPSP will pause recruitment and admission for 2027.
Please note will not be opening HPSP applications or admitting a new cohort for Summer 2027. This thoughtful pause will allow for a period of assessment and strategic planning with campus partners to ensure the program meets student needs and aligns with CPHA capacity.
This decision was not made lightly by the HPSP leadership team, and we understand the importance of this announcement to our students, alumni, and partners. CPHA will continue to support current HPSPers and program alums, and will will continue to support students in brainstorming ways to navigate the shadowing process through our resources.
HPSP has been around over 10 years and has served over 150 undergraduate students at UW-Madison who have pursued meaningful careers in healthcare and beyond. We appreciate your patience and we look forward to returning in 2028 with a refreshed HPSP that remains committed to its original mission of increasing access and equity in healthcare careers.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Center for Pre-Health Advising at questions@prehealth.wisc.edu.
Additional Shadowing Resources
Visit CPHA’s Shadowing & Informational Interviewing Webpage for informative content about shadowing and informational interviewing as well as a list of frequently asked questions to help with your journey.
Other programs that offer shadowing, research, or clinical engagement opportunities include:
UW SMPH Rural and Urban Scholars in Community Health: RUSCH is designed to support students who are passionate about addressing health disparities and serving rural, urban and tribal communities in Wisconsin.
WI AHEC: Community Health Internship Program (CHIP): An 8-week summer internship matching college students with local health departments, tribal health centers, and community agencies across Wisconsin. The next session runs from June 7 through July 30, 2027, and participants receive a paid stipend.
UW-Madison Summer Program for Undergraduate Urology Research (SPUR): The University of Wisconsin–Madison Summer Program for Undergraduate Urology Research (SPUUR) is a 10-week paid summer research internship for undergraduates from anywhere in the United States. SPUR prioritizes applicants who are considering graduate school in biomedical research.
Mayo Clinic: Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF): Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers a 10-week Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) experience for undergraduates wanting to build their skills as young scientists.
Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Health Science and Medical Career Pathways: MCW offers a wide variety of undergraduate programs that provides intense research or clinical exposure to students. Some programs focus on providing support with the medical or graduate school application process to promote the success of participants as they pursue these career avenues. For example, the STEP-UP program aims to provide support to local undergraduate students. Undergraduate students in STEP-UP move through the program in a supportive cohort that supplements their pre-medicine and biomedical studies through each year of college.
Northwestern Medicine Pre-Med Internship Program: The Northwestern Medicine Pre-Medicine Internship provides an opportunity to work at a premier academic medical center and to learn more about medical professions. Interns participate in clinical observation, work on faculty-sponsored projects and engage in educational seminars from renowned leaders throughout our institution—all while exploring the great city of Chicago.
Program Structure
The program is shaped around opportunities to shadow and network with local health care providers. In typical years, students shadow a variety of healthcare professionals at UW Hospital and other area affiliated hospitals and clinics. Specialities have included:
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiology
- Cardiovascular
- Imaging Science Research
- Critical Care
- Dermatology
- Emergency Medicine
- Family Medicine
- Gastroenterology & Hepatology
- Genetic Counseling
- Internal Medicine
- Medical Interpreting Services
- Memory Clinic (Geriatrics or Neuropsychology)
- Neurology
- Nurse Practitioner
- Obstetrics/Gynecology
- Pediatrics
- Pharmacy
- Physical Therapy
- Psychologist
- Radiology
- Rehab Therapist RN/MPH
- Surgery
Are you a healthcare provider interested in hosting an HPSP learner? We invite you to fill out our interest form. We’d love to connect and talk more about how we can collaborate!
In addition to shadowing, the two-week program offers students a variety of additional professional development experiences, including:
- Networking opportunties with a wide range of healthcare professionals, including physicians, faculty, current students, and a wide range of professionals from the UW SMPH
- Professional development workshops put on by CPHA, UW-Madison campus partners, and community partners
- Panels with current professional program students and professional program admissions representatives (M.D., PA, MPH, PT, O.T., PharmD, etc.)
- Opportunities to learn about current trends in healthcare and increase understanding of health disparities of both rural and urban communities in Wisconsin
- Continued advising and resources provided by the Center for Pre-Health Advising and the SMPH Pathways Programs
Other activities may include:
- Workshops to strengthen communication skills among peers, patients, and providers
- Visiting a charitable pharmacy
- Engaging with local community organizations
Typically, 15-20 students participate in each HPSP cohort. Almost 100 students have participated in the program since its inception in 2016.
Program costs are fully sponsored by CPHA, UW SMPH, and other campus/community partners. We work with participants to coordinate transportation, on-campus housing, tech, or meal needs during the duration of the program.
The only potential cost participants will need to budget for is purchasing business attire if they do not own any already. Please feel free to utilize the SuccessWorks Career Closet if needed!
Eligibility & Selections Considerations
- Interest in pursuing professional healthcare programs.
- Commitment to working towards greater equity in healthcare.
- Understanding and appreciation of the importance of a diversity of perspectives in healthcare teams (via lived experiences, identities, educational, and professional backgrounds).
- Applicants must be currently enrolled as *degree-seeking* UW-Madison students in good academic and non-academic standing on the application deadline and at the time of participation (i.e. enrolled in spring, enrolled for fall, minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 but exceptions may be granted based on extenuating circumstances or upward grade trends).
- Participants must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or DACA recipients.
- Applicants must have completed at least one semester of degree-seeking coursework on the UW-Madison campus by the program’s start. Incoming first-year students will not be selected.
- Students may not apply if they will be applying to a professional program in 2027 (medical school, PA school, etc.)
- No previous shadowing experience is necessary! However, the most successful applicants in previous years have started to gain some initial health-related experience through volunteering, student organizations, etc., prior to admission.
- Priority will be given to applicants who will significantly benefit from gaining more exposure to health career fields and building related professional networks.
How to Apply
The program will pause recruitment and admission for the 2027 cohort. We appreciate your patience and we look forward to returning in 2028 with a refreshed HPSP that remains committed to its original mission of increasing access and equity in healthcare careers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, HPSP is unable to consider international students at this time. Due to partnership and funding restrictions, participants must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or DACA recipients. However, we welcome and encourage international students to use all other resources from the Center for Pre-Health Advising.
We’re excited for you to start your time at UW-Madison! However, only currently enrolled students who have completed two semesters of coursework at UW-Madison (or transfer students) can apply for HPSP.
Students must participate in all scheduled programming, which begins around 8:00 AM and concludes between 4:00 – 7:00 PM Monday – Friday. Students may spend some evenings working on their final projects. Since we do not have scheduled programming on weekends, students can use that time however they would like.
We understand that HPSP runs during the same time as many summer classes and acknowledge the importance of both. If a student were to be interested in taking a summer class during HPSP, they will need to work with the HPSP director to create a plan of action to ensure success in both areas.
In typical years, each student is paired with a different provider each day and will gain over 30 hours of shadowing experience over the course of eight days. We ask for student preferences but cannot guarantee placement. However, we believe that exploring a variety of professions will help you understand career options in healthcare and develop a better understanding of how the system operates overall.
