IRTA at NIH vs. Clinical Research at a Hospital

[Raistlin]

I have the option of accepting a job at a hospital as the research coordinator at a pediatric HIV clinic or doing an IRTA fellowship at the NIH.

Barring any last second miracles, I will be applying to med school for the second time beginning this summer and am looking for the best way to spend this next year.

The hospital job involves taking care of all the clinical trials at the clinic and I don't know what the IRTA position will involve yet, but it will contain a good amount of clinical research also (prolly not HIV though).

Any feedback?

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[tms]

i work with two other irtas now, all three of us were accepted to our top choice med schools (Maryland, Indiana, Columbia)... a fourth irta decided to apply to grad. school and interviewed (and was accepted) at the top programs in the country..(i.e. Yale, Wash U, Penn)

these are just the irtas in my lab group...i haven't heard of any other irtas in my building not getting in either....

 

[phinicky]

I was a pre-IRTA last year at the NIH. While I hated my experience there, I really feel as if that's what got me into medical school. I had really good grades, lots of ECs, and decents MCAT scores- but the NIH job put me over the top. I had about 10 interviews, and was accepted to many schools- including my top choice. Other pre-IRTAs that I know have all been accepted to top MD, PhD, or MD/PhD programs- including one friend who had 16 interviews. There are also 5 people in my med school class who were pre-IRTAs. It really is a fabulous experience. The pay sucks, but it will really help get you in!

 

[shpate]

I second all of the above responses. Although the IRTA experience has not been the greatest, it definitely has allowed me to get into a number of schools at which I thought I had no chance.

 

[BobbyDylanFan]

Hi,
Can you elaborate a little on why it hasn't been the greatest experience? Just curious.

BDF

Originally posted by shpate
I second all of the above responses. Although the IRTA experience has not been the greatest, it definitely has allowed me to get into a number of schools at which I thought I had no chance.

 

[relatively prime]

IRTA ? What's that stand for? Is that their internship program?

 

[phinicky]

IRTA= Intramural Research Training Award. It's a fancy word for intern.

People's experiences at NIH vary. My reason for not enjoying my experience was because of the people that I was working with in my lab. But, others I know had the best experience with the program. Despite my disappointment, I would still highly recomend this program to anyone considering taking a year off before applying- I would just caution applicants when they pick their particular lab.

 

[relatively prime]

Originally posted by phinicky
IRTA= Intramural Research Training Award. It's a fancy word for intern.

People's experiences at NIH vary. My reason for not enjoying my experience was because of the people that I was working with in my lab. But, others I know had the best experience with the program. Despite my disappointment, I would still highly recomend this program to anyone considering taking a year off before applying- I would just caution applicants when they pick their particular lab.

Oh... so it's not the same as the summer internship program then. I'm doing the summer internship thing... not as big a deal as this IRTA obviously... but I think I'll have fun

 

[tms]

i think the problem is that many people that work at NIH are "lifers." this is true of techs and pi's. they are accustomed to doing things their way...period. when a new face fresh from college comes along, especially irtas (technically speaking we are pre-irtas, anyway)who are planning on using this as a transitional year, we are taken with a grain of salt. but, i was fortunate to have a great (young) pi who still realizes what it was like to be 26 and "aspiring to do great things".

anyway, be selective about your lab. also, publish or perish is truly applicable at the NIH (i mean moreso than other places). i was told that every experiment i ran should produce a "publishable" result.

overall, it was a good experience. i wouldn't do it another year if i didn't get in and i do attribute a lot of my success during my application process to this experience.

 

[bailey39]

I had a FANTASTIC experience as an NIH pre-IRTA (IRTAs are officially post-docs, we are just pre ), and it was definitely due to my lab and those in the labs around me. There were not many other recent undergrads in my section, but I learned so much from the post-docs and had a great time hanging out with them as well. Researchers are from all over the world-- i was the only US born in my lab-- other people were from Vietnam, Syria, India, Sierra Leone; and if you include the lab across the hall you can add Israel, France, Haiti and China.

The research and seminar opportunites are astounding if you can take advantage of them. Definitely ask a lot of questions when you are interviewing with labs about independence, mentoring, publishing pressure, etc. Also see how much clinical vs. basic science research you will be doing-- I wanted basic science and got it. My lab would have been a poor choice fro someone who wanted patient interaction. I went to a conference in San Fran and first-authored a publication (in a nice journal) by the time I left. It looked nice on my research fellowship (I'm abroad right now)application last year, and I'm sure it didn't hurt my MSTP applications. But most importantly, I learned a lot and had a great time. Also, I found the stipend to be fine. It was a little tight when I was living in Adams Morgan (I tutored for spending cash) for two months, but I moved to Bethesda and saved enough to pay for all my MSTP applications and most of my flights this year.

If I have any advice though, it's go where you think you'll get the experience you're aiming for--med schools should "like" both. Coordinating an HIV research project would also be a great experience. Oh, if you do choose to go the NIH route, check out the NIH Children's Inn-- it's an amazing place to volunteer--the kids are a blast and you often forget the reason they are there in the first place.
Feel free to PM with any questions, Bailey

 

[bond007md]

NIH IRTA ROCKS- for me at least! I have been working at NIH in a Neuro lab and LOVE IT beyond words!!! I second the post who said that try to pick a decent lab with GOOD ppl- it is rare. You dont want a boss who does not care about you or is too domineering!

For example, my boss right off the bat from the first day said to never call him "doctor blah blah"- just go on first name basis and he is ULTRA friendly, and believe me with some super star scientists at NIH this is very rare. Also he is one of the youngest tenured Chief at NIH so I lucked out with someone who understands college life and gives me some space to have fun- for ex. I have no set hours period. Moreover, pick a lab with more ppl so intelligent post docs can teach you something too. I love my job so much that right now I delayed my MCATs till August and am working about 5-6 days (yes that means weekends too). I just did not know though that IRTA in the med school app process means so much...thanks guys. And also yes ppl come from all around the world- it is very diverse so that is a great aspect.

But anyways, I can write all day about how much I love NIH and my lab- they are the coolest ppl Oh and also the research here obviously is second to none and hopefully you can get a lab with great funding, which matters alot too. In the end just pray a little because luck is a huge factor in what you get to do and with whom. But I personally am enjoying and loving every minute of it! (as you guys can see by all these exclamation marks). If you have any questions then i will try to answer them...Good Luck!

 

[nerak]

i agree with alot of what's been said about the IRTA program....you'll learn to deal with some types that don't make it out of the lab much.....and i'll second, third, or tenth that statement about choosign a PI carefully.
working here can be really rewarding, but often quite frustrating...but anyone who's spent time in research knows about that.
for me, the value of working at nih hasn't been the work itself per se. its the tons of lectures and resources at your disposal as you apply to schools. its great having a job where you can take off tons of time to go to med school interviews, because they expect you to.

 

[alaska]

Hi all,
I'm applying to the IRTA program this year. Once I get
accepted, how can I choose a good lab? I'm interested
in Medical Imaging, do you know any good lab in this
medical physics field? One more question, which place
is the safest to live near the NIH?
Thanks in advance!

 

[stressedout]

do any of you know stringent they are about having pre-IRTAs who JUST graduated from college!?!
i graduated from college almost three year ago...but, i still want to do this program. i have two friends who participated and they both loved it...any input?

 

[shpate]

Originally posted by alaska
Hi all,
I'm applying to the IRTA program this year. Once I get
accepted, how can I choose a good lab? I'm interested
in Medical Imaging, do you know any good lab in this
medical physics field? One more question, which place
is the safest to live near the NIH?
Thanks in advance!

I think I can help. If you're interested in a particular lab you should talk to Debbie Cohen in the Office of Education. She's one of the people who coordinate the Pre-IRTA program. You can look her up and give her a call. She's very friendly and I'm sure she'll guide you in the right direction.

In terms of housing, you want to stay in the Chevy Chase, Bethesda, Rockville, and Gaithersburg area. I would not live anywhere else if you want stay close to the NIH and want to live in a safe area. If you have any other questions, I'll be more than happy to answer them. Just PM me.

Sid

 

[shpate]

Originally posted by stressedout
do any of you know stringent they are about having pre-IRTAs who JUST graduated from college!?!
i graduated from college almost three year ago...but, i still want to do this program. i have two friends who participated and they both loved it...any input?

I've seen a few older pre-IRTA's that work at the NIH. One of the requirements of the program is that you be in the process of applying to grad school. Although nobody really checks. I would definitely apply to the program and if anyone needs any pointers on the best way to apply let me know, I'll be more than happy to help.

Sid