Experience what it’s like to work at VA with paid internships for students

Take a look inside a career at VA—and get paid to do it. Students interested in working at VA, or even just looking for some real-world experience, can take advantage of internship programs across the career spectrum.

We offer internships connected to all career fields—supply and logistics, health administration, chemistry, human resources and information systems, to name a few. Through these programs, you will gain valuable training and work experience in your chosen profession.

And did we mention you can get paid, too?

Pathways Internship Program

The federal Pathways Internship Program helps high school, undergraduate and post-graduate students across the country develop the career skills to succeed.

This internship provides you with the opportunity to serve in a medical facility or staff office in the nation’s only integrated health care system, which includes more than 1,300 facilities located in all 50 states and several U.S. territories.

While you learn about the variety of career paths available at VA—and contribute to our mission of caring for the brave men and women who have served our country—you’ll be earning a competitive salary and valuable experience.

National Diversity Internship Program

By participating in our National Diversity Internship Program (NDIP), you’ll have the opportunity to influence how we interact with our diverse Veteran population.

This paid internship program lets undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds and cultures explore career options at VA. While you gain valuable work experience, you’ll be helping us with our ongoing mission of serving Veterans.

During that time, you’ll receive biweekly stipend payments, which vary and are based on education level. You may also be eligible for transportation to the facility or housing at the internship location.

Starting on the path to the future

A VA internship can help you take that first step on the path to a rewarding career.

If you successfully complete your internship, you may be eligible to convert to a full-time position outside of the competitive hiring process, meaning you simply switch from trainee to employee.

Many of our interns go on to work at VA after graduation. You’ve earned the experience, so why wouldn’t we want you on our team?

Finding your opportunity

When you head on over to USAJobs, you’ll find we’ve made it as easy as possible to find out information about programs geared towards students like you, as well as recent graduates.

In the job announcement, look for the “This job is open to…” section. When a job is open to students, you’ll see an icon that looks like a white book on a yellow circle. When a job is open to recent graduates, you’ll see another yellow circle, but this one will feature a white graduation cap.

You can also select the “Students or recent graduates” filter in your search, which will display all jobs open to (you guessed it) students and recent graduates.

Work at VA

Start planning for the next steps in your education—and your career—with VA.

• READ more about our programs for students and trainees.
• EXPLORE our hiring initiatives.
• LEARN more about education support
• FIND your opportunity at VA.gov.