NIH Internship

[cdoc]

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Hey there all:

I've spent a year thus far doing independent undergrad research under univ grant; I plan on continuing it this coming year and publishing/presenting, etc...

Blah, blah, blah...some significant stuff

I am planning on taking a year following graduation (May 2006) to continue my research in a lab doing related work or in an internship in a lab doing related work. I have noticed some super-looking opportunities at the NIH for undergrads headed to prof school to intern in labs.

My question is...how competitive are these internships? The application process on the website sounds too laid-back to be true (no deadline for program - continual admissions, etc), but I wondered if anyone's done one/knows someone who has done one/has tried to get one, etc.

Thanks in advance for the info. I feel like I am groping in the dark on this one. I'd really like to land one of these, so any tips would be super welcome. Your input is really much appreciated!! Let me know if other info is important to your answer.

 

[argonana]

Hey there all:

I've spent a year thus far doing independent undergrad research under univ grant; I plan on continuing it this coming year and publishing/presenting, etc...

Blah, blah, blah...some significant stuff

I am planning on taking a year following graduation (May 2006) to continue my research in a lab doing related work or in an internship in a lab doing related work. I have noticed some super-looking opportunities at the NIH for undergrads headed to prof school to intern in labs.

My question is...how competitive are these internships? The application process on the website sounds too laid-back to be true (no deadline for program - continual admissions, etc), but I wondered if anyone's done one/knows someone who has done one/has tried to get one, etc.

Thanks in advance for the info. I feel like I am groping in the dark on this one. I'd really like to land one of these, so any tips would be super welcome. Your input is really much appreciated!! Let me know if other info is important to your answer.

Hi.

I'm doing a post-bac IRTA right now. I've heard from my PI and some of the post-docs in lab that the acceptance rate is around 30%. There are TONS and TONS of qualified people in the database, and obviously most PIs don't have time to sift through all those applications. So it helps to contact the PIs you're interested in working for.

I applied around this time last year, and unfortunately, most labs had filled up. After about a month, my current PI (whom I'd never even contacted) contacted me for an interview. I lived in CA, so I was hired after just a phone interview. Overall, I don't think the process is too competitive, as long as you have strong LORs and an indication of research interest.

P.S. Just to warn you, hours are super super long at NIH. It depends to some extent on the lab, but it's generally true. But you probably know this already.

 

[nairay]

Hey there all:

My question is...how competitive are these internships? The application process on the website sounds too laid-back to be true (no deadline for program - continual admissions, etc), but I wondered if anyone's done one/knows someone who has done one/has tried to get one, etc.

Thanks in advance for the info. I feel like I am groping in the dark on this one. I'd really like to land one of these, so any tips would be super welcome. Your input is really much appreciated!! Let me know if other info is important to your answer.

I am finishing up my IRTA-ship in next week (!). Usually spots open up around May through August, which is when the highest turnover occurs because current IRTAs are leaving. It also depends on how many spots are open in a lab. In my particular lab, we are actually downsizing a bit (not as many newbies are replacing certain people), probably due to the big budget cuts. Sometimes spots open up in the fall/winter if people are unhappy with what they're doing/hate their supervisor/etc.

I applied sometime in February and did phone interviews in March/April for a spot (I lived in CA at the time). I was in DC for spring break and interviewed at some labs during that time as well.

The important thing is to research labs you're interested in (usually through the lab's website), contacting the lab chief (b/c the database is huge!) and to ask the PI/postdoc who you'd be working closely with for contact information from previous IRTAs who'd worked in the lab/with the supervisor, to get a feel about how the work environment is, if they're micromanagers or laid back, how independent (or not) you'd like to work, etc. Also, what kind of work you'd be doing (subject recruiting, actually running experiments, you know the deal.)

A good GPA, interest in the material, and good LORs are usually sufficient. Good luck!

 

[somewhere2010]

i just started my second year as a post-bac IRTA at NIH, and i really love my job! amazingly, i was contacted by a lab with an absolutely ideal position for me: a combination of clinical and basic science experiences. i hadn't contacted them in advance, but i would imagine that that helps call attention to your file, as so many people are constantly applying to NIH. i am also fortunate in that my position allows me a great deal of autonomy because i am the coordinator of a clinical study; however, this has its downside too, as most of us are used to having assignments and deadlines rather than working so independently.

it's definitely important to get a feel for what your daily life will be like and if it matches your work style (ie fast-paced vs. more relaxed, highly supervised vs. independent), perhaps moreso than ensuring that the topic of research in the lab is perfectly in line with your interests. i wanted to study aging and ended up studying development, but it's just as fascinating to me and not entirely different!

 

[cdoc]

i just started my second year as a post-bac IRTA at NIH, and i really love my job! amazingly, i was contacted by a lab with an absolutely ideal position for me: a combination of clinical and basic science experiences. i hadn't contacted them in advance, but i would imagine that that helps call attention to your file, as so many people are constantly applying to NIH. i am also fortunate in that my position allows me a great deal of autonomy because i am the coordinator of a clinical study; however, this has its downside too, as most of us are used to having assignments and deadlines rather than working so independently.

it's definitely important to get a feel for what your daily life will be like and if it matches your work style (ie fast-paced vs. more relaxed, highly supervised vs. independent), perhaps moreso than ensuring that the topic of research in the lab is perfectly in line with your interests. i wanted to study aging and ended up studying development, but it's just as fascinating to me and not entirely different!

You guys are so awesome- thanks to all who replied!

My feeling is that the best time to try to nab a spot is directly after graduation (May/June) and that I'd be severely limiting my chances if I chose to take the summer off and begin in fall. Good to know.

2010, actually my current work is in aging! I love it - we should talk oxidative damage sometime. Seriously though, I would love to have more of an independent project (what I am doing now pretty much constitutes that - no grad students in the lab this year) - how accepted is it to ask for contacts of previous interns to gauge the working conditions?

Plus, how did you guys find the lifestyle? I love to work hard, but also to kick back. Housing ok? Social life? I'm planning to be on the interview trail during this year - labs ok with that?

Thanks!!!

 

[cdoc]

Hi.

P.S. Just to warn you, hours are super super long at NIH. It depends to some extent on the lab, but it's generally true. But you probably know this already.

Yah...but how long is "Long"? Weekends?

 

[somewhere2010]

Yah...but how long is "Long"? Weekends?

again, this varies widely among labs...i only work weekends if i feel like it and truly need to get something done quickly! and i think it's kosher to ask a PI (very politely, cuz they'd be doing you a favor by fowarding your email to an IRTA or the like) for an IRTA's contact info...just don't expect to hear back from all of them because they're super busy most of the time!