Finding research assistant positions?

[numbersloth]

For most full time clinical research positions, it seems to be pretty easy to find them through hospitals and university's HR systems. However, for lab research assistant and lab manager positions, it seems that these are mainly located on lab's websites. Is there a more efficient way to locate these positions other than going through every lab website in a given department?

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[ReapPremed]

Find PhD investigators you want to work with and email them to see if they anticipate any openings. RA jobs have turn-over. They (and their purse-strings) will be your boss and the decision-maker much of the time. Send a good cover letter, showing you've read their work and want in, and your CV.

A lot of jobs posted on institutional websites may not be "real." It might be policy for the job to be posted, but it could already by filled: by an undergrad volunteer they like, or maybe they're paying someone off a new grant and needed to "technically" create a new job.

 

[infectiousdisease101]

I've been looking for a job in an antibiotic resistance for about 8 months because I'm thinking about exploring MD-PhD. I just ask PIs if they are expecting openings in the near future. That shows initiative and when they do get openings, it saves the PI time of scrolling through 50 applications, give or take, when they do have openings, provided they think you are a match for their lab. I found a PI whose lab is expanding in the field of antibiotic resistance in real soon. This was after 8 months of searching. I was VERY picky because this was the only research field I was interested in for possibly pursuing a thesis. I'm in a type 1 diabetes lab and that made me realize my research interests lie more in microbiology, that's why I was so picky. On the upside, being picky meant I was very interested in this field, so impressing the PI was a cake walk when I finally found one. This guaranteed me a spot as a research assistant in their lab when it expands. You may have an easier time finding a PI if you are not as picky as I was, but you may have a harder time impressing the PI.

 

[DameJulie]

You may have an easier time finding a PI if you are not as picky as I was, but you may have a harder time impressing the PI.

Ditto on that. You couldn't impress yourself if you are going into a lab that its research interest doesn't interest you. Make sure you are interested in what you're going into!

 

[maryzein]

Hi guys, my name is Mary, an IMG. I failed step 1 in my first attempt (score 190). I'm completely disappointed. Studied FA two times, Caplan Video, more than 10,000 tests. UWORLD/NBME score>250+ but failed! no idea why ;(
I'm on H4 visa right now. please any idea or help to get a research position w/o step 1 🙁