Jobs before graduate school…

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hayley44

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Hi all. I'm new to this forum but it seems like it is a valuable resource.

At my job, I run clinical drug trials: industry and PI sponsored. I am in charge of all aspects of the studies – basically the PI just says “I want to study this drug in this indication” and I help write the protocol, consent form, and set up and run the study from that point on, including assessing and “diagnosing” research subjects through standard assessments (SCID, etc).

My question is – will this be helpful for admission to clinical psych PhD programs? I have two studies for depression and two for bipolar disorder that I run. If I want to apply to graduate schools and talk about how I’m interested in studying depression in a certain population (lets say kids, or families), will experience in clinical trials for depression look like appropriate and related research experience? Or should I seek out other, more direct research experience that doesn’t involve clinical trials?

Also, all my bosses/PIs are M.D.s. Few of them are professors at other institutions. Are they still considered to be good rec writers by grad school profs? Or should I really be seeking out PhDs holding academic positions at universities?

thanks so much for any/all advice! As a start to a discussion thread, it would be interesting to see what people who took time between college and grad school are doing/researching at their jobs.

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*I should preface this by saying my perspective is from a strong research oriented program*

This is just my opinion, but I think really solid research experience at any instuition is worthwhile. I worked at a large research hospital prior to coming to grad school and I can say without a doubt that it was my research experience that kept me so competitive.

In your personal statement really focus on the skills you've learned in your day to day work as a scientist. Really detail how helpful your experience has been in exposing you to research and how all of those aspects have convinced you that this is what you want to do as a PhD students.

A full time RA generally learns about all of the aspects of science (both the good and the bad) and have a more realistic idea of what a researcher really does. All of my classmates volunteered in labs while holding full time jobs - sure they have great experience and connections within the world of psychology, but I think that I have a greater understanding of how research happens.

And all of my recommenders were MDs, not PhDs. Connections go a long way in getting in, but really strong detailed recommendations can also be very valuable. My piece of advice for your recommendation letters - really let them know what kind of program you are applying to, and what the program values. MDs often times don't know what makes a good clinical psych applicant, so tell them.

(And a quick note - make sure you don't take so much credit that it makes your experience sound unbelievable. I know how much work coordinators and RAs really do, but remember that faculty members have egos and don't want to think that they aren't needed. Showing initiative and inquisitiveness are really important but don't take credit for everything.)

And that long response is what you get when procrastinating!
 
thank you so much for your thoughtful advice! always like to help the procrastination process if i can :)
 
- really let them know what kind of program you are applying to, and what the program values. MDs often times don't know what makes a good clinical psych applicant, so tell them.

This was a GREAT point, so I wanted to make sure to highlight it. MDs tend to be a bit different than clinical people, in that they may focus more on hard data like GPA, standardized test scores, etc. If they are writing your recommendations, it is important that they highlight your other abilities too. Grades are important, but EVERYONE at this level has those things. It would help you if they could speak to your research and analytical ability, how you functioned on a multi-disciplinary team, your ability to synthesize what you are learning.....that kind of stuff.

Best of luck!

-t
 
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