Improve Medical Culture
Our mission is to reshape the culture of medicine by advocating for compassionate care and fostering supportive environments where healthcare professionals can thrive.
At Improve Medical Culture, we train the next generation. Thank you to Improve Life PLLC Psychiatry in Ashburn and Reston, Virginia for covering the cost of this clinic-based internship and allowing us to use the rooms from your professional office rentals.
Strengthen Your Medical School Application
How This Internship Benefits You
Most of you are here because you want to apply to medical school, PA school, or another health profession. Admissions committees consistently look for applicants who have real clinical experience, an understanding of patient care, and exposure to how healthcare works outside of a classroom. This internship gives you exactly that. Over the past ten years, Improve Life PLLC's internships have trained over 500 students. Many of these students are now doctors.
National data from medical school advising centers show that many programs require applicants to have an experience like this. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), states that successful applicants show direct involvement in patient care, strong communication skills, and a clear understanding of the realities of medicine. Many schools specifically flag clinical experience as a major factor in admissions because it proves you understand what you are signing up for.
This internship provides the type of experience that helps you stand out. You gain real skills in professionalism, patient communication, medical documentation, diagnostic reasoning, and understanding the healthcare system. You also learn how physicians think, how clinics function, and what it is like to work with actual patient scenarios. These are things you cannot learn from a textbook.
You are also building a long record of involvement with a physician led medical practice. Medical schools value applicants who work with physicians, who can speak confidently about clinical concepts, and who show that they can handle responsibility. Your weekly assignments, journal clubs, patient case write ups, Mini Med School sessions, and required participation hours build a strong portfolio that you can talk about during interviews.
Many internships around the country charge tens of thousands of dollars for experiences like this. Our program offers similar educational value but without the extreme cost. Because this internship is rigorous and structured, it can be added to your application as a long term clinical and academic experience, not a short and superficial experience.
Graduate and medical schools look for applicants who have demonstrated interest in medicine over time. This internship gives you that record. When admissions committees ask you to talk about a clinical experience that shaped your understanding of medicine, you will be able to discuss your assignments, the clinical cases you worked through, the professional skills you learned, your participation in Mini Med School, and how you grew during the program. If you pass, you will receive a letter of recommendation.
In short, this internship strengthens your application by giving you real experience, real skills, and a meaningful story to tell. It helps you stand out in a competitive pool and makes your future applications stronger, clearer, and more authentic.
How This Internship Helps With Scholarships, Grants, and Financial Aid
Starting in the 2026 application cycles, graduate and professional programs will have stricter limits on federal loans. Many students will need to rely on scholarships, grants, and merit based financial aid to cover the gap. Strong extracurricular experiences can make a major difference in how much funding you receive, and this internship can help you stand out.
Financial aid offices and scholarship committees look for evidence that you are committed to your future profession. They award money to applicants who show dedication, leadership, and a clear understanding of the field they want to enter. This internship provides all of that. It creates a documented record of your involvement in healthcare and shows that you have taken initiative to gain experience in a physician led environment.
Many scholarships include essay questions where you must describe a meaningful experience, a challenge you overcame, or a time when you learned something important about the career you want to enter. The work you complete in this program gives you strong material to write about. You will be able to reference Mini Med School, patient cases, journal clubs, your graded assignments, and the professional skills you practiced each week. These essays stand out compared to students.
Some grants and university scholarships also ask for proof of community involvement or long-term commitment to a field. Being enrolled in a structured healthcare internship like this, with defined hours, a syllabus, and graded academic work, can qualify as both. It helps show that you are building your future on purpose, not by accident.
Universities also like to see mentorship and continuity with one organization. Since this internship works in stages, you can continue into higher level research internships or more advanced clinical roles once you complete this one. The longer you stay involved, the stronger your financial aid profile becomes.
In a world where loans will no longer cover all of the cost of medical school, PA school, nursing school, or graduate programs, small advantages matter. A strong internship record can make a real difference in how much free money you receive. It can also help you qualify for special programs, pipeline opportunities, or university-based funding that are only open to students with healthcare experience.
This internship strengthens your scholarship applications and improves your chances of receiving financial support because it shows commitment, professionalism, maturity, and real exposure to medicine. It helps you compete for grants and reduces your need for loans later.
Medication Safety Research
Looking for research experience and a publication? Join a project reviewing medication safety in pregnancy — flexible, remote, and authorship opportunity included! Send your CV or a brief note about your background and interest to DrWaggel@ImproveLifePLLC.com
Accepting SENIOR (college seniors and graduate students) researchers now
Waitlist for JUNIOR (high school to college junior) researchers but get on the list now because there will be openings summer 2026
Physical Exam, First Aid, and Suture Skills
Our program gives students rare exposure to real clinical skills in a safe and structured environment lead by a medical doctor. Under the direct supervision of a physician, students learn the foundations of physical examination, clinical reasoning, and bedside professionalism. They practice core skills such as taking vital signs, understanding normal versus abnormal findings, using medical instruments, and approaching a patient with confidence and respect. Parents consistently tell us that this portion of the internship helps their child become more mature, more focused, and better prepared for future health-related careers.
One of the most anticipated components of the internship is our Suture Clinic. During this hands-on session, students learn sterile technique, wound-care basics, and introductory suturing on synthetic practice models. This is the same type of early training used in medical and nursing school skills labs. It is fully supervised, highly structured, and designed to build both competence and curiosity. Many students discover a new passion for surgery, emergency medicine, dermatology, or primary care through this experience.
These sessions are intentionally crafted to be safe, age-appropriate, and confidence-building. Students do not practice on each other; all procedures are performed on medical-grade simulation materials. Our goal is to give students opportunities that are simply not available in the typical classroom. Parents appreciate that their children gain exposure to real medical tools and techniques without the pressure or environment of a clinical shift.
Families often choose this internship because it strengthens college applications, prepares students for pre-health pathways, and gives them meaningful experiences to talk about in interviews, scholarship essays, and personal statements. These hands-on sessions are memorable and empowering, and they help students stand out in a competitive academic landscape.
Top Doctor
Congratulations to our Medical Director, Dr. Stephanie Waggel, on this incredible honor! More than 13,000 physicians across DC, Maryland, and Virginia cast votes for colleagues they would personally recommend to patients. Each ballot required a current medical license, with one vote per doctor and no self-voting allowed, making this recognition especially meaningful. It’s clear that Dr. Waggel is highly respected and deeply valued within our community!
If you'd like her to be your psychiatrist check out Improve Life PLLC. If you are interested in her concierge service see Mom's Physician.
Founder: Improve Medical Culture & Improve Life PLLC
As a resident doctor, Dr. Waggel was diagnosed with kidney cancer. She was faced with an unsupportive work environment. Dr. Waggel founded Improve Medical Culture to change the culture of medicine and offer resources for healthcare providers. She now offers training to premed and medical students that are supportive rather than toxic. Topics are vast ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics. You may watch some of the topics on our YouTube channel. Funding for these free experiences provided by Improve Life PLLC Psychiatry of Reston and Ashburn, VA.
Bhuvana Lavu
We are proud to give Bhuvana the Most Improved in Professionalism Award. She earned this for two important reasons. First, she showed remarkable empathy and accuracy when responding to a woman who is struggling with thyroid cancer. Her message was thoughtful, sympathetic, professional, and medically correct. Second, she received a question from a university official and reached out with a question. Dr. Waggel sent Bhuvana very quick answer because she was extremely busy. Dr. Waggel very much hoped Bhuvana would use her own independent thinking skills to extrapolate upon the reply. She did! Instead of repeating word for word, she used critical thinking to transform my answer into a complete and professional email that fully answered the question. She understood the intent behind the brief response and expanded it into something excellent. This showed strong judgment, independence, and growth. I am very proud of her progress.
Intern of the Year 2025
Angelia Le
Learn from a Network of Leading Physicians
Dr. Waggel has connections to top doctors through her role as ambassador and social chair
At Improve Medical Culture, our internship program goes beyond psychiatry. Students gain the rare opportunity to meet and learn directly from other top health professionals, including specialists in neurology, dysautonomia, addiction medicine, and more. Through recorded lectures, Q&A sessions, and collaborative teaching, interns see how different areas of medicine connect and work together. This unique exposure not only strengthens clinical understanding but also provides valuable networking with doctors who are leaders in their fields.
Blog 08
Discover the real-world value of healthcare internships and fellowships at Improve Life PLLC. Learn how students gain clinical experience, professional skills, and insight into psychiatric care.
Project Lifesaver Event Aug 9
This was a free, family-friendly event with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office to raise awareness for Project Lifesaver — a life-saving tracking program for individuals with autism, dementia, and more.
🕛 Saturday, August 9, 12–3 PM
📍 44075 Pipeline Plaza, Suite 110, Ashburn, VA
🎉 Balloon animals, face painting, prizes, and a chance to connect with local deputies!
