Student Pathways Program
About the program
The Student Pathways Program offers a unique career exploration opportunity to 11th and 12th grade students in Northeast Ohio who have an interest in healthcare.
Participants in the program gain exposure to a wide variety of clinical and non-clinical healthcare careers. Through direct interaction with current Cleveland Clinic caregivers, students explore the world of opportunity available to them in healthcare including direct-to-employment positions, which can be available immediately after they graduate from high school.
Not only will participants learn about careers through virtual workshops and an onsite observation, but they also will receive skills training directly from their program manager or other caregiver. Topics include:
- Resume writing
- Interviewing skills
- Personal branding
Students who participate in this six-week education experience will explore career possibilities while successfully preparing for their post-graduation journey.
Financial incentives are available for participants who successfully complete all Student Pathways Program requirements.
Requirements
To participate in the Student Pathways Program, students must:
- Be an 11th or 12th grade student, in Northeast Ohio, at the time of application.
- Be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or legal permanent resident.
- Be interested in a healthcare career with a clinical, non-clinical or business focus.
- Obtain the agreement of parents, guardians or caregivers to participate in assessments and educational forums.
- Have Wi-Fi, internet, or hotspot capabilities; access to a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet/iPad or cell phone; and have the Zoom and Microsoft Teams apps downloaded.
Applications for the Fall 2026 Student Pathways Program are now closed.
Applications for the Spring 2027 Student Pathways Program will open in February 2027.
If you'd like to be notified when applications open, please complete our Student Pathways Interest Form, and a member of the Student Pathways team will contact you with the application link once the Spring 2027 application period opens.
Thank you for your interest in the Student Pathways Program. We look forward to connecting with you and helping you explore healthcare career opportunities. Questions? Contact StudentPathways@ccf.org.
How to apply
- Review the timeline and requirements.
- Create a Clinician Nexus account.
- Complete and submit the application. Download the application instructions here.
- Upload proof of your current seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination. Monitor your email for updates.
Influenza vaccination requirement
A current seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination is required to participate in the Student Pathways Program. Applicants must upload proof of vaccination with their application. Students accepted into the program must have a current flu vaccination on file to complete onboarding and participate in the program.
Student Shadowing Experiences
About the program
The Center for Youth and College Education’s Shadowing Program is designed for high school students, college students and adult learners who are interested in shadowing a healthcare professional for a defined time. Our Shadowing Program allows learners to gain visual and verbal experiences to make an informed decision and gain an understanding about their career of interest. Please know that shadowing experiences are observational and do not include hands-on work with Cleveland Clinic patients or data and that students are not conducting any type of research for class.
College students and adult learners can engage in up to one week, or 40 hours, of shadowing per calendar year, and high school students (age 15 and over) can engage in up to 20 hours of shadowing per calendar year. Students are able to shadow three areas within that time.
We offer experiences across our Northeast Ohio facilities. The Center for Youth and College Education uses Clinician Nexus to display all shadowing experiences. Students who wish to apply need to download the appropriate login instructions.
- View the college and adult learner login instructions
- View the high school student (15 and over) login instructions
Requirements
To participate in a shadowing experience, students must have:
- Tdap booster within the past 10 years, proof of documentation required
- Negative tuberculosis screening: two-step Mantoux test (TB test), QuantiFERON®-TB Gold test, or T-Spot test within 12 months before the student experience
- Measles (Rubeola) immunization
- Mumps immunization
- German measles (Rubella) immunization
- Chickenpox (Varicella) immunization
- Hepatitis B immunization or signed waiver
- A COVID-19 vaccine may be required of students working in high risk areas such as the pediatric ICU, critical care unit and other areas with immunocompromised patients
Questions? Contact StudentShadowing@ccf.org.
High School Senior Project
The Center for Youth and College Education welcomes high school students to perform their for-credit senior projects in all fields, with the exception of nursing, pharmacy and pediatrics.
The student will apply in Clinician Nexus (instructions below) and must provide the following documentation so they can be considered for the program:
- Documentation from the school detailing the project.
- All documentation is subject to review by the Cleveland Clinic Law Department for final acceptance.
- Email communication from Cleveland Clinic sponsor accepting the responsibilities of being the sponsor. View the email requirements.
- Please note that the CYCE team is currently unable to match students with a sponsor.
Senior project requests need to be submitted by the student to CYCE in Clinician Nexus no later than 45 days prior the project start date to accommodate processing time and onboarding. The student will not be able to begin their project until the process is completed in its entirety.
Student Requirements
- 17 years of age or older.
- Completion of SilkRoad onboarding process prior to the start date of your senior project, some attestations from academic program director required.
- Onboarding overview
- Update and verify personal information.
- Review and acknowledge Cleveland Clinic enterprise wide policies.
- Review Cleveland Clinic mission, vision and values.
- Complete Conditions of Use form.
- Complete background release form (ages 18+).
- Complete Health Requirement Attestation.
- Submit proof of negative tuberculosis test (two-step mantoux or Quantiferon blood test) from the last 12 months.
- Submit proof of MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella).
- Submit proof of TDaP vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis).
- Submit proof of Hepatitis B vaccine series or signed waiver.
- Submit proof of Varicella/Chickenpox vaccine.
- Submit proof of Flu vaccine if attending between November 1 through March 31.
- Complete confidentiality agreement.
- Complete MyLearning coursework.
- Obtain ID badge.
- A COVID-19 vaccine may be required of students working in high-risk areas such as the pediatric ICU, critical care unit and other areas with immunocompromised patients.
Contact Us
For questions about this process, please contact the Center for Youth and College Education Academic Student Team at CYCEAcademicStudents@ccf.org.
CORE Summer Camps
CYCE CORE Summer Career Exploration Camp
Overview
Northeast Ohio high school students can apply to attend a week-long, half-day educational career exploration experience that builds awareness of healthcare career pathways, provides hands-on learning, and strengthens the future healthcare workforce. As part of the CORE (Careers, Opportunities, Resources, Education) Summer Camps program, students in grades 9–12 (age 15+) engage directly with Cleveland Clinic caregivers to explore clinical, nonclinical, and technology‑based healthcare careers.
- Clinical careers focus on patient-facing areas, including respiratory therapy, radiology/ultrasound and pathology.
- Nonclinical healthcare careers include business-focused areas of healthcare, such as sterile processing, pharmacy tech and lab tech.
- Technology-based healthcare careers focus on technological aspects of healthcare, such as cybersecurity; virtual reality and program coding; innovation; and biomedical engineering.
All CORE Summer Career Exploration Camp activities take place on the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus and are tuition-free.
Requirements
To participate in CORE Summer Camps, students must:
- Be in 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade
- Be 15+ years of age at the time of application
- Be interested in clinical, nonclinical or technology healthcare careers
- Select one track*
- Technology track: Week one
- Nonclinical track: Week two
- Clinical track: Week three
*Students must complete the full five days of the selected track to successfully complete the program.
The Center for Youth and College Education (CYCE) is currently preparing for the 2027 camp season. Students and educators interested in receiving future updates should complete the 2027 CORE Summer Camps Interest Form:
Please note: Applications are not yet available. Students who complete the interest form will receive additional information and application instructions when the 2027 CORE Summer Camps application cycle opens. Thank you for your interest in CORE Summer Camps!
Questions about the program? Contact us at COREsummercamps@ccf.org
Boot Camps
Overview
A half day immersive experience for high school students at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus to explore various careers in Cardiology and Pulmonology. This educational boot camp offers career exploration opportunities to students by providing informative and immersive learning experiences. The boot camp includes hands-on simulation, interactive skill sessions, engaging group activities, and collaborative learning opportunities.
Requirements
- To participate in the Boot Camp, students must:
- Be in at least 9th grade by the start of the upcoming academic school year
- Be interested in a career in Healthcare
Boot Camp Offerings
Summer 2026: Main Campus – 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
July 17, 2026
July 31, 2026
Aug 12, 2026
Applications open May 18th at 12 p.m. EST and close June 8th at 4 p.m. EST.
There are limited spaces available, and once we receive 120 applications, we'll be unable to accept any more. Please note that completing an application doesn’t guarantee placement in the program.
