At UC Health, we're proud to have the best and brightest teams and clinicians collaborating toward our common purpose: to transform health and improve life.
The Healthcare Exploration Program (HCE) is a collaboration between UC Health and the University of Cincinnati College. It provides UC undergraduate students with healthcare-driven majors with the opportunity to gain firsthand clinical experience, while exploring a variety of healthcare career paths.
Students begin their journey in one of our Inpatient Acute Care divisions:
- Cardiology
- Medicine
- Neurology
- Psychiatry
- Surgery
- Women’s Health
First-semester experiences are also available to students enrolled in Pre-Pharmacy or Radiology programs. During additional semesters, students may choose to explore additional clinical areas, such as Critical Care, the Emergency Department, Respiratory, Laboratory, Rehabilitation, and Ambulatory clinics.
Work Commitment:
- Fall and Spring Semesters: Average 12 hours per week over the semester, totaling 168 hours. This includes an off-shift requirement of 80 hours, which is part of the 168-hour total.
- Off-shirt requirement – any hours between 3:00 PM - 7:00 AM and all weekend hours
- Summer Semester: Average 20 hours per week, half of which must be off-shift hours.
The program is a 2-semester commitment and requires participation in career development courses offered by the University of Cincinnati. Each student begins with the foundational course MEDS3099, a 3-credit-hour course featuring a once-a-week, in-person seminar held Tuesday afternoons (4-6 PM). Each additional semester is a separate experience, and enrollment in subsequent, asynchronous HCE-aligned course is required to remain in the program.
Applicants must have completed at least their first two semesters of study and maintain a minimum of 2.5 GPA. The program is open to UC International students, but they must coordinate with their UC advisor and UC International for CPT approval and enrollment in MEDS courses. UC Health is considered off-campus employment.
Applications:
- Fall Semester: Open May 1st; orientations are held in July and August.
- Spring Semester: Open September 1st; orientations are held in December and January.
*Orientation lasts 2 weeks, full-time and attendance on all days is mandatory.
