What is a Health Law Internship?
Health law internships have become an integral part of a legal career in recent years. An internship in health law is broadly defined as a full-time placement at a law office, health policy organization, government agency, or clinical law office where the intern accomplishes work that would ordinarily otherwise be accomplished by, or under the direct supervision of, paid employees. The arrangements of each internship are unique. Interns are typically hired after completing their second year of studies. In a health law internship, the intern is likely to work with attorneys and professionals from a variety of health law backgrounds, including attorneys who represent both healthcare organizations and providers in administrative dealings and litigation, litigation attorneys who focus on high-stakes civil aggrandizement cases , and public interest attorneys who help patients with access to healthcare services.
The goal of a health law internship is a complete immersion into the dynamics of the health and healthcare industry from a legal perspective. This is certainly a sudden and drastic change from the classroom and law school surroundings. This is usually the first time that health law interns gain direct exposure to client interactions and interactions with other professionals in the field. Health law internships provide students with exposure to the kind of work lawyers do and teaches them how to apply the underlying analytical skills and substantive knowledge they have learned in law school to real life situations. This kind of hands-on experience is an advantage in the job market. It can also be the foundation of a rewarding professional career.
Health Law Internship Benefits
Health law internships provide valuable real-world skills and experience to bolster the resumes of students yearning for a successful career in health care law. These invaluable experiences allow interns to network with professionals in the field, giving them a foot in the door upon graduation. A huge advantage of an internship is the ability to gain on-the-job training through hands-on experience in draft legal memorandums and pleadings, preparing documents for depositions and mediations, motion practice, document review and analysis, interviewing and corresponding with arbitrators and hearing officers, attending court hearings and trial preparations, and performing client and case research. Students may also develop specialized legal skills such as managing healthcare-related business matters and issues under federal and state health and safety regulations. Practical experience is extremely beneficial when seeking employment. Interning with a health care law firm will not only boost a resume but may also open doors for future employment opportunities. Many employers prefer recent law school graduates who have prior experience working in a legal setting. An internship also provides an opportunity for personal assessment of work habits, attitudes, and career goals. It may lead to a permanent work position.
How to Find a Health Law Internship
Health law internships can open doors to future employment opportunities and provide invaluable experience in a fast-growing and complex field. However, finding the right health law internship can be a challenge. Law students can start their search by looking for resources offered through their law school or university. Many law schools have career services offices that provide students with a wealth of information about potential employers and upcoming job fairs, as well as and providing access to online job databases and listings.
Networking with health law professionals can also be a valuable strategy for locating internships. Law students can network with professors, mentors, and alumni who have connections to health law employers in their area. Additionally, joining health law organizations or associations that offer student memberships can be a great way to connect with experienced health law professionals who may be able to provide job leads and referrals.
Finally, law students can search for health law internships on job boards specifically geared toward the legal industry. These job boards often feature a wide variety of job openings, including government positions, nonprofit opportunities, and private-sector internships. By searching multiple job boards, students can increase their chances of finding the right internship that aligns with their interests and career goals.
How to Prepare for a Health Law Internship
Once you secure a health law internship, the next step is to ensure that you are prepared and ready to make the most of the opportunity. The first step to acing your internship is ensuring that your resume showcases your legal skills. For your internship, this could mean being well-versed in health care issues, researching regulatory and compliance issues for the health care industry, or drafting policy and procedure documents.
You want to present yourself as someone who is eager to learn. If you have strong legal research and writing skills, ensure that shows on your resume. Those skills are certainly still important in the world of health and hospital law. Similarly, a solid understanding of healthcare policy is also important for many health law internships.
Regardless of where you land an internship, health care providers need to follow laws with which they may not be familiar. Whether it is adhering to the requirements of Medicare or HIPPA, hospitals face many challenges in the world of health and hospital law. Understanding how healthcare interacts with regulations and policies will allow you to be a successful intern.
Reaching out to other law students who have had a health law internship is a great way to prepare for the role. They will have insight into the specific skills you should build, the issues that you will face, and the kinds of daily tasks that you will be expected to accomplish. If you can get feedback from a former student, you can get a good idea of whether or not you would be a good fit for the position.
What to Expect During Your Health Law Internship
Health law internships can vary widely depending on the specific health law field you might be studying. Some interns find themselves working on various research projects, like analyzing the legality of a new healthcare initiative or program, while others might draft legal memos designed to provide clarity on a pending health issue or controversy. Health law interns may also be given the task of summarizing relevant laws and regulations for their employers or working directly with clients to help solve their legal issues.
Law students can expect to spend some time simply researching information and gathering supporting evidence that is pertinent to their projects. For instance, if you are working on an article related to FDA drug approvals and testing, your research may include compiling a list of the different types of drug testing procedures, the purpose of each, and the average turnaround time for each procedure. You might also be tasked with tracking down statistics that are relevant to your article or legal brief, including information on FDA drug testing costs, common side effects of specific medications, or the number of drugs that had to be recalled over the last three years. Your research might also include gathering specific information about your target audience or intended clientele , such as the number of minorities that are quickly prescribed psychotropic drugs and the rate at which those drug prescriptions are filled at major pharmacies, for instance. Most law students on health law internships also spend time drafting legal documents related to health law and litigation. This can include everything from preparing and filing key motions, to writing legal notices that alert recipients to potential liabilities, to writing client letters that inform them of the legal ramifications of medication interactions. Some health law interns may draft memos or testimony outlines for legislative hearings on health-related matters, and some are even called upon to draft proposed laws, amendments, or bylaws.
It is also not uncommon for health law interns to accompany lawyers to legal proceedings. For example, interns may attend client meetings, hearings, and any legal proceedings that are relevant to their current legal research project and/or paper. Both law students and interns get to see how these legal matters are handled in "real life," rather than from the standpoint of law professors or textbooks. In some cases, law students may be called upon to act as trial assistants in order to gain valuable litigation experience.
Health Law Internship Skills
Interns in health law settings are often at the forefront of legal research and analysis. These emerging professionals delve into complex regulatory issues, crafting memos that articulate their findings and conclusions succinctly. While analytical proficiency is paramount for interns tasked with research, recent graduates should anticipate spending a significant portion of their time on practical matters such as drafting client communications and form documents, legal briefs, and contracts. An internship provides an opportunity to develop a more nuanced understanding of how to balance labor on research and drafting with the more pragmatic day-to-day work of a law firm.
Communication skills are pivotal for interns seeking employment in health law. In clinics, governmental agencies, non-profits, and law firms, health law interns often interact with a diverse range of clients. Whether speaking with physicians, health information technology professionals, or members of the public, being able to convey and receive information effectively is crucial. In addition to interpersonal communication, many health law internships place a premium on outstanding writing skills. From drafting memos to preparing briefs suited to litigation and regulatory mediation, interns must learn to assess and apply written rules, regulations, and case studies to the moving target of the healthcare sector.
Familiarity with the nuances of medical technology, ethics, and regulation is vital for those working in health law. While students exposed to health law issues during their studies are well-positioned to handle the basic requirements of an internship, without prior experience they may be unsure how to apply their knowledge. In today’s high-tech environments, for example, students who have not learned to conceive of patient privacy as a multi-dimensional question may lack the background necessary to provide sound legal recommendations. Each situation can be unique; it is only through practice, including an internship, that students can learn how to apply awareness of these issues to the challenge of supporting clients.
While many health law internships are highly competitive, and what an intern can do from the start is limited by their level of education and experience, those who succeed in finding and securing health law jobs will demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which they can contribute. By coming to an internship with a proactive mindset, analytic facility, and growing understanding of medical and legal ethics, interns will put themselves in the best position to be proactive contributors who make a strong impression on their supervisors.
Health Law Internship Career Options
For those who land coveted health law intern positions – whether at a law school clinic, a hospital or healthcare system legal department, or with a law firm – the hard work will definitely pay off. Oftentimes, an internship leads to a full-time position. Even if a job offer is not immediately forthcoming, an internship is a way to get your foot in the door and make valuable connections. Most health law interns are successful in their efforts to secure full-time positions after graduation. The type of position, whether a law firm job, compliance department role, or a position with a government agency, is largely dependent on the area or areas of interest of the intern when he or she first begins his or her internship. For example, for interns interested in a position at a law firm, dealing with regulatory, fraud and abuse, antitrust, and litigation aspects of health law , an internship with a law firm practice group that specializes in one or more of these areas will be invaluable. For those who desire a role within a hospital or healthcare system legal department, summer employment in that department will offer an inside view of the work performed while also serving as a valuable networking opportunity. Finally, for students interested in a career with a government agency, an internship with that agency will allow for hands-on experience in the type of work such an agency performs. By doing all of these things – completing a quality law school health law courses and seminars; getting a job at a hospital, healthcare system, law firm, or government agency that is related to health law or healthcare; and, lastly, getting through law school and passing the bar – each intern will find doors opening in the field of health law.