current & former NIH post-bacc IRTA's--advice/stories please!

[Mistress S]

I am planning to graduate in June '04 and apply to med school at the same time, leaving me about a year between graduation and when I will hopefully begin med school. I am considering pursuing an NIH IRTA in that year as an alternative to staying in my current job. I spent a summer at the NIH between soph and junior years, so I am somewhat familiar with the area and the NIH, but I have some questions about the IRTA and would be interested in general if people want to share their experiences. My questions are:

1.) Will it matter for obtaining an IRTA that I am an English major? I am minoring in bio and of course have taken all the pre-med courses, so I have a fair amount of science under my belt including upper division bio and (by the time I finish) biochem. Also, I am more interested in clinical research than "hard science" bench work.

2.) Should I contact labs that are conducting research I am interested in first and discuss the possibility of working in their lab, then apply online? My understanding is that the lab basically chooses which students they want, so you have to contact indivual PI's and submit your CV and LOR's to them, and the online app is sort of a formality. Is that correct, or is there more to it?

3.) Is it difficult to obtain a position? When I went in the summer, my undergrad paid for it and provided my stipend, so I wasn't competing for any NIH award money. I don't really want to work in the same lab, although I had fun there the work didn't involve much direct patient interaction (which I would like) and the PI I worked with was sort of unfriendly and cold. I'd like to find a position in a different lab, possibly in the NICHD (I was in the NIAID before).

4.) Can you start anytime during the year? I would ideally start around July 2004.

5.) Any other advice/tips/experiences you can share? Do you think it was a good use of a year, and would you do it again?

Thanks in advance!

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[G0S2]

Does not matter that you are an english major, however, despite being a learning experience, the more you can do in the lab, the better.

Apply online and the application will circulate. When you are asked to visit the NIH, you will interview with different labs who are interested in you.

I do not think it matters when you want to start July2004-July 2005 is a year.

Great experience. You learn so much and the "yellow sheet" lists all of the daily lectures. There are a lot. Wednedsday afternoon lectures are the best. Usually someone pretty big in the science realm.

Great on the resume to have worked at the NIH. I am a grad student now and have been accepted to med school. I would love to return to the NIH for some training.

Also, Bethesda/DC is an amazing area to live in. Expensive, but, never bored.

I hope that helps.

 

[Mistress S]

Thanks G0S2! So you don't have to contact individual labs, they just look at your app and then invite you to interview? That's good to know. Is it difficult then to work on a particular project if there are some that interest you? Should you contact those labs to express your interest?

I really liked DC before, it is expensive to live in but the stipend should be sufficient, especially since my BF and I would split the bills. I would rather live there than Bethesda.

 

[exmike]

I did a NIH IRTA myself. I actually searched for a program that I was interested and contacted the person directly, and he pushed the application through for me so I didnt have to formally apply! You might try to do this if there is something you are particularly interested in. PM me if you have ?'s

 

[biffbuddy]

hey mistress S!

I am an IRTA now applying for school entering in 04
I cant emphasize enough how great the IRTA program is

first off, you don't need to be a science major- i am a nonscience major who also worked at the NIH in previous summers- the fact that you have that experience on your resume will work wonders for you, believe me- all they want to know is that you will be able to handle the work in a research lab- they will also be happy to know that you worked at the NIH itself!

second, although the labs do contact you, I dont see anything wrong with investigating a particular lab whose work interests you and emailing the PI to get more information and to let him/her know that you are very interested in working in that lab- although you have to go through the IRTA program to be accepted, it is ultimately up to the lab to hire you- be aggressive.

all in all, it has been a great experience for me- i have an amazing PI and mentor, both who tirelessly work with me to answer all of my questions and make sure that I am getting the most out of my year there-

pm me if you have any other questions
good luck!

 

[phinicky]

I was a pre-IRTA as well. I can say it was the best and worst experience of my life.

I honestly believe that being a pre-IRTA is what helped me get so many interviews and acceptances when I was applying to med school. It's pretty simple, and looks wonderful on a CV.


It's not necessary to contact labs. Many labs don't have funding for pre-IRTAs. Other labs that are interested in students will just type in key words in the applicant data base. When name came up, I was contacted by the PI. I interviewed with several PIs and chose the lab whose research I was most interested in.

Now why I didn't like my experience... Simply put, I was in a terrible lab. My advice is to really take some time to see the dynamics of the lab before making your decision.I learned so much in a year, but my time wasn't as great due to my co-workers. However, most people I know really value the experience

 

[Mistress S]

I hear you on the coworkers, phinicky--the summer I spent at the NIH was fun because of DC (where I was staying) and people I met in the labs, but the doctor I was working with was a very difficult person--cold, unfriendly, micromanaging, etc. I really hope I don't end up with someone like her again if I go back as a post-bacc.