Gap Year Medical Internship

The PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation Internship Alliance Program builds strong partnerships with leading companies to secure internship opportunities for our talented young professionals and increase their visibility among recruiters in competitive applicant pools.

Eligibility:
To explore through the Internship Alliance, students must be either PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation alumni or PanHellenic Young Leaders.

1. PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation Alumna or Alumnus

2. PanHellenic Young Leader (for non-scholarship Alumni)

Through this program, young Hellenes may be referred, recommended, or even reserved for exclusive internship opportunities within our trusted partner network. 

To best support you, transparency and timely communication with the Director of Internships is essential for all interested candidates.  

ALL Interested applicants MUST meet with the PanHellenic Director of Internships. Please contact at gtsakos@panhellenicsf.org.

Not yet a PanHellenic Young Leader? Apply today at panhellenicsf.org/phyl.

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About South Bay Vascular Center

South Bay Vascular Center and Vein Institute (www.southbayvascular.com) is the oldest, largest, and most trusted independent vascular surgical practice in Santa Clara County. Located in Campbell, CA (Silicon Valley), the practice specializes in the care and treatment of patients with circulatory-related illnesses.

Founded over 25 years ago by Dr. Polly Kokinos (Barnard College; Columbia Medical School; UCSF General Surgery Residency; Washington University Vascular Fellowship), South Bay Vascular serves patients with conditions ranging from complex circulation disorders to cosmetic vascular concerns.

Our practice performs a wide variety of hospital and in-office procedures including

• The treatment of chronic limb ischemia

• Peripheral arterial disease (non-healing wounds)

• Carotid artery surgery

• Superficial and deep venous disease

• Fistula creation and dialysis access

• Varicose veins

• Claudication (pain while walking)

• And many other vascular related issues.

South Bay Vascular Center was the first independent vascular surgical practice in the area to pioneer the model of combining a Medical Clinic, a Vascular Ultrasound Lab, and a Nationally Accredited Ambulatory Surgical Center into a single Vascular Surgery Center of Excellence.

Now, with offices in San Jose, Gilroy, and Santa Cruz, California, South Bay Vascular Care physicians see more independent referrals from community physicians than all the other independent vascular surgery practices in the area combined.

Dr. Ignatius Lau joined South Bay Vascular Center in 2022 to help meet the increasing demand of our cohort of referring physicians. Last year, Dr. Ruby Lo moved over from Santa Cruz to join us. Dr. Ryan Gupta, who finished his training at University of Colorado, is our newest associate. We continue our expansion to meet the growing needs of our referring physicians and hospitals from both inside and outside the area.

A Word About The South Bay Vascular Medical Gap Year Internship Program

South Bay Vascular Centers is proud to offer four medical gap year positions this year to pre-med/pre-PA students who plan to attend graduate school. Our medical gap year program is the oldest and most established program of its kind in this area and sets the bar for others to follow. While other practices may advertise similar Gap Year programs, the success of our internship program speaks for itself. Over the past six years, eighteen of our gap year interns have matriculated to American medical schools; two have gone to a DO program and two to nursing schools following their involvement in our program.

This position is a paid ($25.00/Starting salary depending on experience) internship and requires a full-time commitment. The program is rigorous and includes a weekly teaching clinic where students are challenged to deepen their understanding of medicine, especially vascular-related illnesses, when our surgeons present patients for discussion just as they would experience in Medical School. Much is expected of the interns admitted into the program, but our program offers an unmatched opportunity for highly motivated students who are serious about pursuing a career in medicine.

By providing students with an opportunity to function in a variety of distinct roles, our medical gap year students are introduced to all aspects of clinical and surgical medicine through real-time experiences. This includes but is not limited to:

• Scheduling patient appointments

• Interacting with referring physicians

• Insuring proper record documentation

• Insurance Authorizations

• Scribing and being part of the patient visit

• Extensive experience and interaction with electronic medical records

• Setting up and assisting in back-office procedures

• Scrubbing cases bedside with our surgeons

In addition, because of the large volume of cases we do each month, opportunities exist for original clinical research including publication. This position provides direct contact with our vascular surgeons, as well as with the entire office and surgical team.

Candidates are required to make a commitment of a MINIMUM of eighteen months. The ideal candidate can commit to a twenty-four-month internship. They must have completed a four-year degree including most pre-med requirements and have excellent English written and verbal skills. Interested candidates must submit a cover letter, resume, and must meet with the physicians to determine their suitability for the position. 

PLEASE NOTE: Any candidate submitting a cover letter appearing to be composed by an AI software program (ChatGPT/Grok/Claude etc.) will be immediately rejected as honesty and intellectual integrity are hallmarks of an authentic physician. Students with secondary language skills, particularly Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, or Chinese, as well as students who have completed a year abroad study program, will be given special consideration. Please specify if you bring a specific second language proficiency to this role as you will be given special consideration.

This is a paid full-time position. Positions are limited. Interested applicants must send their application material directly through Handshake or to the hiring practice administrator.

We encourage all motivated, committed, intellectually curious, and well-rounded individuals to apply.

Finally, interns are NOT granted time off to study for MCAT exams during this gap year internship program. The internship program is a full-time commitment, offering health insurance and retirement benefits once the intern has reached published threshold employment criteria. 

Position Details

Job Title: Gap Year Medical Internship

Candidate Qualifications

Work Authorization: This job requires US work authorization

Degree Level: BA/BS

Latest Graduation Date: June 2026

Minimum GPA: 3.5

Position Type: Job

Work-Study Program: No

Location Type: Onsite

Onsite Locations: San Jose, California, United States ; Gilroy, California, United States of America

Time Requirements: Full time

Compensation and Benefits

Expected Pay: 20–30 USD per hour

Additional Compensation:

Benefits:
Medical
Vision
Dental
401(k)
Paid time off after one year