Internships

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is dedicated to promoting and protecting the health of Virginians and offers valuable public health experience while you earn your college degree.

VDH celebrated its centennial in 2008 and offers paid and unpaid internships to students working toward a degree.

• Work while you are gaining practical application in your area of study
• Work with a VDH supervisor to help you apply your studies to your work
• Gain work experience which may help you be a stronger candidate when applying for full-time employment upon graduation
• Learn about career opportunities at VDH and gain valuable networking contacts

Dynamic areas of work

This is a unique opportunity to gain exposure to and experience in one of VDH's dynamic functional areas which include such things as:

• Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Environmental Health
• Epidemiology
• Family Health Services
• Minority Health and Public Health Policy
• Community Health
• Administration

For-credit Placements

• Placements are open to college students needing internship credit toward an undergraduate or graduate degree.
• The Virginia Department of Health requires a completed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with all schools and/or programs before students can begin their internship with our agency. This process can sometimes take several months. Please keep this in mind as you apply. View this list to see if we have an MOA with your school/program.
• VDH cannot place any interns from any state colleges or universities in Georgia. Please see more information below.*
• Internships are available in the Central Office in Richmond or in district offices throughout the state (placements in Arlington and Fairfax counties are made through those departments).
• Anyone seeking a Dietetic Internship please consult the WIC program webpage.

Non-credit Experiences

• If you will not earn academic credit for your work at VDH, you  are INELIGIBLE to participate in the VDH Internship Program; please do not apply.
• Paid noncredit experiences are advertised on the state’s online Recruitment Management System.
• Unpaid noncredit opportunities are discussed on the VDH Medical Reserve Corps webpage.

Interested?

You will need the following information to submit the online application for the VDH Internship Program.

1. Will you earn academic credit for your work with VDH?
2. If so, what is the name of your school and program, and what is the name and email address for your program’s internship coordinator?
3. Will you accept an unpaid internship or do you require pay?
4. In what city or geographic area could you accept a placement?
5. When would you like your internship to begin and end?  
6. In which area(s) of public health are you most interested?
7. A current resume

Once you submit your online application form, the VDH Internship Coordinator forwards this information to managers throughout VDH. Any managers interested in possibly placing you will contact you directly.

You can also contact a health department near you and ask if they are accepting interns. Here is a directory of all of the health departments in the Virginia Department of Health.

*The VDH Internship Memorandum of Agreement (on the recommendation of the Virginia Office of the Attorney General) requires colleges and university to provide general and professional liability insurance coverage for their students placed for internship in any VDH worksite. The Georgia state code prohibits state institutions of higher learning from providing this coverage; therefore, their students are ineligible for VDH internship placements

VDH may not place any interns from any state colleges and universities in Georgia:

Virginia Department of Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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