High School Nursing Pathway Program
The Mount Sinai Health System High School Nursing Pathway Program is a six-week summer initiative managed jointly by the Health System’s Department of Nursing and the Office for Health Data, Outcomes, and Engagement Strategy. We leverage our existing relationships with the NYC Department of Education and 1199SEIU to recruit local New York City high school students and introduce them to the nursing profession through immersive, hands-on experiences. We pair students with nurse managers across the Health System, offering exposure to the full scope of nursing practices and the principles of health equity.
We provide students with real-time exposure to health care through hands-on clinical experiences with a proven track record of growth, starting with 26 students in 2023 and expanding the program to welcome more than 100 students in 2025. Now in our fourth year, many of our student alumni have since gone on to pursue undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and other health care-related fields, including nursing, biology, biomedical sciences, and psychology, among others.
Overview
During the six-week experience we champion mentorship and networking opportunities for students with our nurse managers and leaders and advance health equity education by deepening their understanding of the impact nursing has on the communities we serve. During their rotations, students support clinical departments by auditing supplies, preparing patient rooms, and performing safety checks, as well as shadowing certified nursing assistants and unit clerks to help maintain whiteboards, quality boards, dashboards, and other nonclinical materials.
Students also participate in a field trip to the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing for a guided tour of the simulation lab, gaining insight into how immersive scenarios strengthen clinical learning and nursing education. As a final project, students share their unique perspectives on health equity and create informational brochures that highlight recommendations to improve care delivery on their assigned units. Participating clinical departments include Behavioral Health/Rehabilitation, Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center, Critical Care, Ambulatory, Dialysis, Emergency Department, Intensive Care/Critical Care, Maternal/Child Health, Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, Telemetry, Women’s and Children’s Services, Perioperative, and more.
We see strong potential for the program’s continued growth and impact, especially in expanding opportunities for those of underserved communities, through the ability to:
- Expand reach by engaging and partnering with health- and nursing-focused schools to identify students.
- Create opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration to enhance care and innovation.
- Track program alumni enrollment rates at the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing to establish a dedicated pathway.
- Drive long-term revenue by investing in the development of the next generation of the nursing workforce.
Eligibility
Ideal candidates for the program should meet the following criteria:
- Education and Experience
- Current high school freshmen (9th graders), sophomores (10th graders), and juniors (11th graders) enrolled in an NYC Department of Education public school, with additional details noted on the application.
- Demonstrate an interest in nursing through coursework, volunteer work, or extracurricular activities; submitted as part of the application.
- Skills and Qualifications
- Strong written and oral communication skills; team player.
- Commit to attending all program sessions and fulfill the required working hours (150 hours over six weeks).
- Application Requirements
- Must be at least 14 years old at the time of application and able to obtain/submit working papers if selected for the program.
- Maintain at least a 3.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale, equivalent to 87 percent or higher.
- High school transcript
- One letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, or community leader.
We review applications on a rolling basis and notify candidates who are selected for the program by April. The program begins in July (typically on the Monday following Independence Day) and ends in the second week of August.
How to Apply
The 2026 application cycle is now closed. Applications typically open in late January and remain available through mid-March.
We review applications on a rolling basis and notify selected students by late March or early April. Selected students must confirm their availability to participate in the full six-week program before beginning the onboarding process. The program runs from July through mid-August.
Questions?
We welcome any questions individuals may have about the High School Nursing Pathway Program. Please feel free to contact us at NursingPathwayProg@mountsinai.org.