About Summer Internship in Medicine (SIM)

The Students

Students must possess a strong basic science background with some clinical exposure to date and must be in good academic standing in order to participate. From the SIM experience, they will develop an understanding of rural care and its professional interdependencies. SIM gives students an opportunity to see and participate in the overall care available in a rural community. Placement is determined after registration is complete. After placement, students work directly with the hospital/clinic personnel to coordinate their schedule. A final paper summarizing and reflecting upon the experience is required to complete the course.

Experiences During SIM

Experiences could include (but are not restricted to): routine office visits, ER, delivery room, surgery, pharmacy, home care, public health nursing, law enforcement, dentistry, chiropractic, laboratory, medical records, x-ray/radiology, social services, morticians, hospice, pathology, anesthesiology, PAs, NPs, PharmDs, administration, staff or medical director meetings, ambulance services, etc. Small to medium hospitals and occasionally clinics are involved in hosting students in the SIM program. Students are placed in rural settings throughout Minnesota with a few locations out of state (i.e. Alaska, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Michigan, and Wisconsin).

Housing

It is the student’s responsibility to obtain housing in the community where they are placed. Various communities provide housing or will assist the student in locating housing in the area. If housing is not provided by the facility, the student is responsible for housing costs.