NIH IRTA advice-- choosing a lab

[premed23456]

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Hey all,

I will be working at the NIH as an IRTA for the coming 2 years. The problem is that I got scooped up by a PI within a day of applying, and didn't really get to explore too many other options before my decision. This lab is in National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD). Now I'm already in the early paperwork phase of the hiring process (I accepted the offer about 2 weeks ago), but I just got an email from a PI at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) saying that he's interested in me.

Do I just tell him that I already have an offer so no thanks, or should I explore this opportunity at the NCI anyway? I want to maintain professionalism and not hurt anyone in the process, but I also want to keep my long-term med school goals in mind as well. Another thing is, is the NCI really more prestigious than the other NIH institutes?

Let me know what you all think, and thanks!

 

[samsunimomo]

One of the best things about NCI is that it gives you a slightly higher stipend than any other institute. That being said, this really depends on the individual lab and it's up to you to decide whether you'll be able to receive professional mentoring that you need for a great letter of recommendation and potentially get a manuscript published before your second year so that you can have it on your AMCAS. So, instead of thinking: is NCI more prestigious than NICHD, consider:

1. How productive is your lab?
2. Will you be able to get published before you submit your AMCAS?
3. Will you have enough interaction with your PI to get a great letter of recommendation?

 

[Long Way to Go]

While the college and medical admissions processes don't work this way, in the real world, it is an incredible breach of professional behavior to continue interviewing when one has already accepted another job.

This could absolutely backfire on you. PI from the NCI likes you and says "I'm going to call your references to check things out." When your undergrad professor gets the call, don't be shocked if the first thing they say is "I have great things to say about premed23456 but I just went through this process a month ago with someone else at the NIH and I thought that (s)he took their job offer."

 

[premed23456]

Very good points, and thank you for them. I did decide to stick with my original offer and turn NCI down. It didn't feel right to have essentially led the other PI on this whole time, only to break the contract with him in the end. Thanks all!