NIH Clinical Rotation

[sunealoneal]

Sorry, I don't know if this or the clinical rotation forum is more appropriate.

http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov/training/students/electives/programs/radiation_oncology.html

I'm curious if this is something I should be looking into once auditions come around. I wonder if a student would be able to see more unique pathology here. Would this experience be valuable? It'd certainly have the potential to be intellectually stimulating, but it'd be time away from a location that has a residency attached. If it had disproportionately good research dividends, maybe it'd be worth it?

If it is worth it, is this a very competitive site? Would whoever is in charge be looking for specific research experience from the students who are applying here?

Thanks for reading.

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[Gfunk6]

From an anonymous user

Just to clarify, the department does have a residency program that sees interesting pathology, has excellent staff, and a lot of unique research opportunities. However there are very few civilian spots and they are very highly selective in terms of the trainees they accept. They also don’t go through the match and they don’t always take a trainee even when they have an open position. That said, if you have a strong research background (preferably with a PhD), you may be considered.

As far a clinical rotation experience as a medical student, because it’s a government site, it takes a lot of time and effort to get you set up to participate and contribute. Also, the research projects there tend to have a long time horizon so there’s probably not a lot you could do in a 1 month rotation. From that standpoint, you’re probably better off with another big name program where you will still see interesting pathology, but also have a better shot at getting into a research project and improving your chances at matching there.