The National Alliance of  Research Associates Programs (NARAP)

Chief Research Associates (“Chief RAs”) are “post-bacs,” college graduates taking a year or more between the completion of the required courses from undergraduate studies and matriculating to health professional school. 

They are looking for an opportunity that will not only help them succeed in the admissions process, but will also, and more importantly, jumpstart their career in the health professions.

Each NARAP member institution recruits four (4) Chief RAs for their RA Program.  

Roles

Chief RAs

• do the “grunt work” of their program: recruiting, personnel organization, internal and external communications, website development, database management, etc. = whatever needs to be done

• take first-call for issues from line-RAs on shift in the emergency department

• involved in all stages of the clinical research in their institution’s program from concept inception through publication

Commitment

Chief RAs

• serve approximately fifteen (15) months from about mid-May to about mid-August of the following year when they hopefully head off to health professional school

• work about twenty (20) hours per week on average, but this is variable depending on the needs of their RA program at any given time

Training

• Training Program for new Chief RAs, summer, 2013
• for those Chief RAs coming on board to a NARAP member institution’s RA Program
  

• Webinar training course at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, CT, summer, 2013
  

• Activities
  • intense preparation in the major aspects necessary to be a successful Chief
    

    (e.g., recruiting, personnel organization, internal and external communications, website development, database management)

  • production of tools specific for their institutions RA Programs, such as Power Point presentations, training methods, websites, personnel materials, etc.

  • practice to proficiency on the skills necessary to develop their home institutions RA Program

• Weekend at St. Vincent's

  • learn to be a RA at St. Vincent’s on the weekend of training; learn to teach RAs at orientation
    

• serve four (4) shifts as a line RA to become familiar with the role of a line-RA and with the protocol for the studies each NARAP institution will be doing in 2013

• Expenses
  • $200 to serve as a line RA at St. Vincent’s (Criminal Background Check, drug testing, health clearance, uniform shirts, and administrative fee)
    • from a very generous grant by a former Chief RA, this fee is now WAIVED
      

• hotel room and board for the weekend at St. Vincent's, Bridgeport, CT
  

• travel costs
  
• for established NARAP member institutions’ RA Programs in subsequent years, the outgoing Chief RAs “train the trainers” on-site for their Program’s incoming Chief RAs through the summer semesters before matriculating to their health professional schools.
  • NARAP will provide didactic sessions / material via web-based distance learning

• after returning to their home RA Programs, Chief RAs from all NARAP member institutions will meet bi-weekly via a web-based system to discuss progress with the tobacco study and other RA program/research issues.

Compensation

• though each RA Program can make its own compensation arrangements, the Chief RA positions are generally volunteer.
  • however, in most RA Programs, Chief RAs are encouraged to pursue funding from grants under the direction of their physician supervisors.
    
• from experience with the model at St. Vincent’s, Chief RAs have full- or nearly full-time jobs in addition to their work in the program

• potential Chief RAs need to see the unique opportunity from a year’s work helping to direct clinical research as value beyond that available from an entry level job that will end on their matriculation to health professional school

• while it is no guarantee of other Chief RAs’ success, those at St. Vincent’s have been quite successful:

                     15 to medical school and 1 to dental school

Qualifications

Ideally, Chief RAs are:

• ready for health professional school by May of the year they start as Chief

• course work finished
• standardized tests taken (MCAT, DAT, etc.)
• enough clinical experience to make an informed commitment to the their health professional career.
  
• above average profile for acceptance

• demonstrated people skills

• advanced computer expertise, such as database management, website development and programming, is a definite plus

Application

Applications for Chief RA positions are accepted and reviewed on a rolling admissions basis for:

Connecticut      Hartford Hospital (Hartford, CT)

                                   Contact: Livja Koka

                       Lawrence and Memorial Hospital (New London, CT)

                                   Contact: Christina Bateman

                       St. Vincent's Medical Center (Bridgeport, CT)

                                   Contact: Jemima Monchery Email: jemima.monchery@gmail.com

DC                   Georgetown U Hospital/Washington Hospital Center (Washington, DC)

                                   Contact:

Massachusetts   U. of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center (Worcester, MA)

                                   Contact: Kathryn Partridge

Missouri             St. Louis University (St. Louis, MO)

                                   Contact: Dimitri Postnov

Nevada             University of Nevada (Las Vegas, NV)                     

                                   Contact:

New Jersey        Hackensack University Medical Center (Hackensack, NJ)

                                   Contact: Chris Walker 

New York           University of Rochester Medical Center (Rochester, NY)

                                   Contact: Cassandra Robinson

Pennsylvania      Thomas Jefferson University Medical Center (Philadelphia, PA)

                                   Contact: Courtney Townshend

Texas               Seton/University of Texas (Austin, TX)

                                   Contact: Anjali Patwari

Vermont            University of Vermont Medical Center (Burlington, VT)

                                   Contact: Abby Wager or Leah Cipri

Washington        Pullman Regional Hospital (Pullman, WA)

                                   Contact: Jenifer Pitman



To apply, please click here for the link to the Chief Research Associate Application. Please submit the completed application to the contact for the institution to which you wish to apply. 

If a RA Program has an interest in you for a Chief RA position, they will contact your directly. 

Please be prepared to have your Health Professions Adviser send the programs a formal letter of recommendation after their contact with you.