Current IRTA. Dancingmate is exactly correct. I also have two friends from college that work at the NIH and we all found spots by emailing PIs. I think I probably emailed close to 30, including a full cover letter and references to their work. Most of them didn't even look at my application. Be proactive, and follow-up with people.
Some PIs will accept IRTAs for just one year, but take the time to seriously consider how helpful that will be. I was planning on working only one year but could only find a two year position and ended up being glad that I did. I will now have substantive research experience by the time that I apply as well as a very strong letter from my PI. The IRTAs that I know who are doing one year have had a tough time balancing interviews and a brand new job. PIs are flexible with interviews since it's expected that we will go to med/grad school after, but they will start questioning why someone they hired a month ago is taking off every other week for a few days at a time. It makes it hard to run big experiments.
Be very careful with choosing a PI if/when you accept a job. All three of us have had wildly different experiences. One of us has no pubs and works close to 70 hours a week on many different projects with many people she doesn't get along with, another has a PI that tends to micromanage and has a stressful lab environment but works about 40 hours a week and is looking at 2-3 pubs by the end of the year, and another works in a close knit lab and has no major complaints or tradeoffs. I would say that to some extent, each of us had a good idea of what our labs would be like before we accepted since we talked to former postbacs from the labs. You need to find one that will be a good fit for your working habits and goals.
Feel free to contact me with specific questions.
