Around 75% of Harvard applicants take at least 1 gap year before applying to medical school. Medical schools welcome applicants who have taken some time out before applying to medical school as they bring additional experiences, maturity, and perspectives to their application. Alumni will do any variety of activities during a gap year including research (basic, clinical, social science, etc.), work with a non-profit, healthcare consulting, teaching, etc. There is really very little you could not do in a gap year.
Each year OCS holds workshops to help students think about taking a gap year: one about non-profit options in the Fall and one about private section options in the Spring. See the event calendar.
For some students with less clinical experience, full-time clinical research assistant (RA) or clinical research coordinator positions are great opportunities to get paid while acquiring experience working directly with patients in a research setting.
Timeline for RA Positions
Most RA positions are advertised in the spring, when labs know about available funding, and when current RAs give notice that they are leaving (usually for medical or graduate school). Don’t be discouraged if you don’t find many listings in the fall or winter. Update your resume by showing it to your House Tutor and by coming to OCS daily drop-ins (Monday through Friday, 1:00 – 4:00 pm); begin talking to professors, teaching fellows, and clinical mentors; and start searching for clinical labs that fit your interest. Most importantly, cast a wide net. Many of these positions will prefer (and many require) a two-year commitment.
Finding Opportunities
Harvard Resources
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Crimson Careers: Job listings for Harvard students and alumni, updated every day with new listings. See our Featured Jobs and Internships for a sample of jobs available.
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Harvard Jobs & Careers: Job board for administrative/staff positions across the university, including the Harvard Medical, Dental, and Public Health Schools.
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Catalyst Profiles: Directory of Harvard researchers including those involved in clinical translational research.
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Harvard contacts: Professors, teaching fellows, premed tutors, clinical mentors. Ask if they know of researchers who may be hiring. Sometimes a word-of-mouth referral leads to the best opportunities, which may not be listed anywhere.
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Harvard teaching hospitals’ and academic departments’ employment listings.
Resources Outside of Harvard
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Local university and hospital websites: Job listings and researchers in relevant academic apartments.
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Contact the principal investigators of clinical trials and studies regarding possible positions. For example, you can search the government’s clinical trials site for current trials of interest to you.
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The NIH Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA/CRTA) Program is a fully funded one- to two-year biomedical research program at the NIH. Although primarily a resource for basic lab positions, there are an increasing number of opportunities for clinical research.