Early Careers

Take the first step toward an extraordinary career

Looking to make a difference in advancing human health? Early career opportunities at Abbott include internships, our co-op program and apprenticeships. Open up your career pathways and your future.

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Internships

Every year we host hundreds of interns from the world’s leading universities for paid summer internships in functions that include engineering, science, finance, information technology and marketing.

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Meaningful work

Work on challenging project with direct impact on our business, right from the start.

Access to senior leadership

You will have the opportunity to grow and learn from the best each day.

Career development

You will receive ongoing training and join a global community of interns to network with.

Benefits

You can use the benefits and programs we offer to help you live a full life in and out of the office.

Internship focus areas

Our healthcare internships offer flexible 10- to 12-week job assignments during the summer, adjusted to your academic calendar and the needs of individual businesses. Students must be eligible to work in the United States without Abbott sponsorship, be enrolled in an undergraduate program majoring in a related discipline, and possess a willingness to travel and be placed anywhere throughout the United States.

Experience real project scenarios alongside our leadership. MBA interns are assigned to a commercial team where they'll work to complete a project through a domestic or international business unit. Preferred qualifications include current enrollment in a leading MBA program with an average of five years of work experience.

Help improve global health and well-being with a healthcare engineering internship. Focus areas include instrument development, fermentation development, manufacturing support, plant maintenance and utilities, design of process systems or packaging engineering.

Work with teams committed to the health of people and the planet. Areas of focus for environmental health interns range from plant support and lab safety to industrial hygiene and environmental engineering.

Take on meaningful projects that influence vital business decisions. Responsibilities for finance and accounting interns could include financial analysis, budgeting and forecasting, or reporting and controls.

Solve complex business problems. Focus areas for information technology interns could include business systems analysis, project management, application development, data analysis and network infrastructure.

Learn processes and methods of manufacturing products that nurture human health. Manufacturing internship responsibilities include project management, purchasing or logistics.

Contribute to teams dedicated to the highest standards in product quality with a focus on quality assurance or regulatory affairs. Candidates should have a major in a related discipline such as biology or chemistry.

Gain real-world sales experience and develop lasting relationships while working in a nutrition sales internship. Combine technical and business knowledge with working knowledge of market analysis and planning process to implement tactics of a brand plan. In addition to the relevant qualifications outlined above, students should have strong presentation skills.

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#1 Internship program

Vault’s 2026 internship rankings have honored our program as the #1 in health sciences, #3 in finance, and #5 in Engineering and Sales, Marketing & Communications.

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Development programs

Assignments in our rotational development programs are formally structured, two-to-three-year paid assignments designed to let recent college graduates explore new career opportunities and experiences based on specific functions or disciplines.

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Focus areas for development programs

You can apply to positions in different areas of the company and at various locations throughout the world. Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States without Abbott sponsorship, be currently enrolled in their final semester completing a major in a related discipline, and possess a willingness to travel and be placed anywhere throughout the United States.

Our Cardiac Arrhythmia Clinical Associate Program targets high-performing biomedical engineering, engineering, biology, or equivalent students from the nation’s leading STEM programs. Clinical associates have demonstrated academic excellence, communication skills and technical excellence in their respective fields. Clinical associates will provide technical assistance and support for surgical procedures where Cardiac Rhythm Management and Electrophysiology products are used.

Our Financial Professional Development Program prepares college graduates with majors in finance and accounting for financial management roles. Participants will combine technical and business knowledge to work on core assignments in financial analysis, budgeting and forecasting, and reporting and controls. Ideal candidates will hold a bachelor’s degree in Finance or Accounting and have leadership experience, membership in finance or accounting organizations, and at least one completed internship.

Our IT Professional Development Program is a two-year rotational development program designed to provide recent college graduates with a solid foundation for success in IT-related positions at Abbott. Participants engage in three assignments, completing two six-month and one twelve-month rotations focused on developing core IT skills across various areas such as project management, business systems analysis, cybersecurity, data engineering, software engineering, and more. Eligible candidates must hold an IT-related degree, possess leadership experience, demonstrate analytical and creative problem-solving abilities, and have completed at least one internship. Abbott’s IT Professional Development Program provides an exciting pathway to explore new opportunities and gain valuable experiences.

Our Operations Professional Development Program (OPDP) is an entry-level, three-year rotational program designed to offer real-world experience while promoting personal and professional growth. An OPDP member will engage in three, one-year assignments, each 12 months in length within different divisions and across functional areas, including Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Quality. Candidates will hold a bachelor’s or master’s in a relevant field, and ideally have completed at least one Abbott internship.

Co-op program

Get hands-on experience and expand your functional knowledge with a paid co-op at Abbott. Typical assignments last six-to-eight months and include two-to-four weeks of training. Work alongside the best in your field and contribute to meaningful work. Learn more about our co-op jobs and apply now below.

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Co-op focus areas

After receiving rigorous training, our co-ops have the opportunity to solve actual business problems. Co-op participants work across Abbott businesses and can partner with several experienced engineers throughout their job assignment.

Co-ops currently work in our diagnostics, cardiac rhythm management, structural heart, heart failure, and procurement businesses.

We hire several types of engineering students to do complex work, including:

The co-op will design, build and test electrical systems for both upcoming and existing product lines. Support, program, and test FPGA based instrument control systems. Expected to demonstrate increased efficiency with schematic and programming tools and internal documentation systems.

Seeking a two-semester commitment from students currently enrolled in mechanical or biomedical engineering programs. The student will work primarily on transcatheter heart valve development with the opportunity to work with several experienced engineers over the course of his or her experience in multiple functional areas.

The position will require the student to:

Perform, summarize, and present research to assist the team in meeting project requirements.
Participate in or lead problem-solving investigations.
Manage engineering prototypes builds, manage testing schedules, and perform product testing.
Develop or improve test methods utilizing skill sets including mechanical design, prototyping, problem solving and measurement systems analysis.
Analyze test results and present information to the R&D team.
Conduct laboratory testing of medical devices to simulate clinical use.

The co-op will learn and execute the following tasks:

Develop C#/Python/ PowerShell coding skills in the R&D framework
Develop tools for Software team, which will be used to simplify or automate recurring operation tasks
Integrate commercial tools with software development and testing workflow
Support deployment of Software on Alinity CI instruments and simulators
Support DevOps and Cyber infrastructure management.
Learn in multilayer architecture and multiple subsystem environments
Learn continuous integration and deployment environment

The student will build, test, and document both upcoming and existing product lines, and report directly to an engineer leading the mechanical or electrical elements of a next-generation device family. Over time, students will learn to demonstrate competence with CAD software, internal documentation systems, and design principles.

The student will support the Nutrition business by applying test methods and techniques to design and qualify packaging materials and structures. Work will range from development of new concepts through optimization of existing packaging. The student will gain experience in CAD, Laboratory ASTM testing, and ISTA Distribution Simulation analysis. The student could also work on project execution, equipment to packaging interaction studies, and investigational troubleshooting.

The co-op will work intimately with customers, divisions, and the category managers driving the Abbott global procurement model. Provide high levels of customer service and satisfaction while adhering to a strict standard of business ethics and integrity. Proactively seek and develop innovative ways to improve the procurement processes, cycle times, and customer service levels.

The student will work with systems engineering subject matter experts on new product development efforts, business improvement initiatives and on-Market product support projects. Opportunities exist to become familiar with industry standard systems, engineering practices and tools, and participate in hands-on work in our development laboratories.

California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly)
Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech)
Northeastern University
Prairie View A&M
Southern Methodist University
University of Minnesota
University of Texas – Arlington
University of Texas – Dallas

Questions? We’ve got you.

Why should I work at Abbott? What networking events are coming up? How do I apply for a role? Find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about working with us.

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