Berks County Medical Society’s Pat Sharma President’s Scholarship

Applications are being accepted now for this paid summer internship. The program is designed to allow college students to explore careers in healthcare through mentorship and clinical observing experiences with practicing physicians and leaders in local government and nonprofit organizations working to advance healthcare in our community.

Time commitment: 6 weeks full-time, Monday through Friday, June 5 through July 14, 2023.

Stipend: $2000 for each of TWO students

Eligibility: Students who will have completed at least 2 years of college at the end of the current semester and who have demonstrated an interest in a career in medicine or other field in the realm of health care, public health, or health policy. Priority will be given to students who are from the Berks County area or who are attending college in Berks County.

Primary activity: Research and write an article on a clinical topic or public policy issue in the healthcare field. The topic will be chosen in consultation with the scholarship program committee, and close supervision and mentorship will be provided by BCMS physicians and community experts in the chosen topic. The article will be published in the quarterly magazine of the BCMS, the Medical Record. Articles written by past scholarship recipients can be found on the BCMS website, berkscms.org, in the Fall editions of the Medical Record.

Additional activities will be determined by the intern’s interests and could include:

• Observing clinical practice, including surgery.

• Assisting the Executive Director of the BCMS for a few hours a week to learn about the operation of this nonprofit organization and the many ways it serves our members and our community.

• Shadowing members of the Pennsylvania Medical Society Governmental Affairs Office.

• Participating in panel discussions with practicing physicians and with medical students, to gain insight into the process of becoming a physician and the variety of career paths available.

• Attending didactic sessions at Reading Hospital in the Student Summer Internship program.

Application materials:

1) Resume

2) Personal statement of no more than about 500 words describing your career interests and how this experience would further those interests

3) An example of written scholarly activity (an essay or research paper)

4) Letters of recommendation are not required but will be considered.

5) Please indicate whether you are related to a Berks County Medical Society member and let us know how you learned of this internship.

Deadline to submit applications: Monday, March 6, 2023

(Notification will be by March 24)

Forward applications to Mr. T. J. Huckleberry, Executive Director, Berks County Medical Society at:

Email: tjhuckleberry@berkscms.org

Fax: (610) 375-6536