Questions regarding positions as a Research Assistant

[PsychResearchGo]

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Hi, everyone. I had read that some people have held full-time positions as Research Assistants prior to applying to graduate school. Do you have any advice on finding positions like that? If you are applying to Clinical Ph.D. programs, is it necessary to be a research assistant in clinical psychology specifically? In other words, can you do it in another branch of psychology, say, social psych, or possibly in psychiatry? Also, I was wondering how much these positions pay. Thanks for your help and feedback. The application process isn't over for this year yet, but I figured I would try gathering the info ahead of time......just in case......

 

[Ollie123]

Best way to find positions is looking online at various research institution/department/hospital webpages, networking (either through professors you know or at conferences) or just emailing lots of people.

Obviously the more related it is to your area of interest the better, but I wouldn't say "need". In some cases, other departments are BETTER options. For example, there are not terribly many psychology departments in this country with in-house fMRI labs - if you want to do that kind of work in grad school working in a neuroscience or neurology department is PERFECTLY reasonable and in most cases a better option.

Pay is, unfortunately, crappy. I made 25-30k. Most full-time positions will be in that ballpark though there is obviously a range depending on cost of living in that area, experience, etc. Expect more in NYC. Expect less in Montana. Of course, you could end up making 40k in Montana and 20k in NYC, those are just rough guidelines. The upside to crappy pay as an RA is it prepares you for 5+ years of crappy pay as a grad student and then a lifetime of less-than-you-deserve pay as an academic (if you choose to go that route) 😉

 

[lilies05]

well said ollie.

i found mine through monster.com actually, with a keyword of psychiatry and/or psychology. research is a good keyword too (though you are going to have to sort through some non-relevant research postings too). or the names of the nearby hospitals/universities. but the majority of positions you are going to find will probably be hospital or uni based.

 

[ananasaroma]

I found mine by emailing professors at the programs I was interested in potentially attending for graduate school. This can have drawbacks, sometimes they don't like to take students into programs if they have worked as RAs in the lab.

One suggestion I would have if you are still an undergraduate is to ask your professors in the psychology department. Faculty send out emails to each other and post on message boards when they have positions available. Often times your professors can help you with this if they know what you are looking for.

 

[Messipsych]

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[Elle7077]

if you are in new york, i can tell you about an available position which I am leaving soon because I'm pregnant and due in a couple of months. Message me if you are interested!

 

[Alicorn]

In regards to work as a Research Assistant, how likely is it to get volunteer experience on evenings and weekends? I work full time and it unfortunately does not include really any direct research.

 

[Ollie123]

Depends on the needs of the lab, but its certainly not UNcommon. You may not have your choice of lab if they are looking for someone to be there during the day, but many labs have some flexibility for those things.