Year off research experience help

[HopefulSchoolClinicalPsyD]

Hi all,

Eventually, I want to become a pediatric neuropsychologist. I am graduating soon and beginning to look for a full-time research position to begin sometime in the middle of July. I am hoping to provide assistance in some kind of clinical research specifically studying neurodevelopment disorders.

So on career websites hosted by hospitals, there are so many different words used to describe researchers: research assistant, research coordinator, research associate, and so many more... What is the difference between them all? The job postings have so little information about the job / actual research I cannot figure out the differences and what I should be applying for. As well, how am I supposed to craft cover letters when I am unsure what research is being done? Am I looking in the wrong places? Should I be emailing individuals who are running projects I would like to help be a part of and see if they are hiring or wait for openings to pop up on websites like indeed ect?

Any guidance is much appreciated

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[psych.meout]

Titles, responsibilities, and requirements can vary to some degree depending on the organization. Look for positions for which you are qualified, but with progressively increasing responsibilities beyond what you've already done. To make yourself more competitive for grad school, you want to be doing substantially more than, say, coding, data entry, and patient recruitment. You want to look for and/or ask about positions with higher level, more conceptual responsibilities, e.g. helping with grant applications, lit reviews, protocol development, data analysis, and manuscript prep.