Prospective Trainees
Why Train at the NIH?
Overview
At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), we are committed to training the next generation of clinician scientists. We focus our extensive clinical and research resources on your education. Our goal is that you fully realize your potential as a highly competent physician, physician-scientist, clinical investigator, or institutionally based academician. As an NIH clinical fellow, you will train at the 240-bed Clinical Center, internationally recognized as the premier hospital dedicated to translational research and clinical care. With over 90,000 ambulatory visits and 6,000 admissions annually, the NIH Clinical Center brings hope to patients in need from around the globe as we advance medical science through the discovery of tomorrow's cures. With its unique architectural design and state-of-the-art technologies, the NIH Clinical Center is a national resource that makes it possible to rapidly translate scientific observations and laboratory discoveries into new clinical approaches for diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease.
Bringing together accomplished scientists and clinical investigators, the NIH provides its clinical fellows with the opportunity to work collaboratively with Nobel laureates, be mentored by world renowned physicians, participate directly in cutting-edge investigational protocols, and rotate to some of the nation's finest academic medical centers within the metropolitan Washington, DC, region for additional clinical training.
If this atmosphere of innovation and excellence in research and patient care appeals to you, we encourage you to learn more about our programs and consider advancing your training and career through one of our training programs within the NIAMS.
Training
The NIH's training programs are based in the Clinical Center, America's research hospital. This environment uniquely integrates research into our teaching of the six ACGME core competencies (patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice). To help you develop the skill set of a clinician-scientist, we will provide you with rich experiences in our research labs and patient-care units, and offer you a wide spectrum of unparalleled formal learning opportunities. Some of the research-focused courses available to our clinical residents and fellows include:
- The Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research Bioethics
- Grant Writing Courses
- Principles of Clinical Pharmacology
- FAES courses in basic research and BioTrac biotechnology workshops
- The NIH-Duke Training Program in Clinical Research
As a fellow at the NIH, you'll discover a collaborative team committed to helping you achieve a sustainable career as a future clinician-scientist or academician. Our programs will provide you with a solid foundation on the fundamentals of clinical research and translational medicine and provide a platform for you to explore your research interests and collaborate with peers across the NIH. Rotations to some of the area's leading academic medical centers will further strengthen and round out your basic and advanced clinical skills. Our partners in fellowship training include: the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, University of Maryland Medical Center, Children's National Medical Center, and the National Capital Consortium. After completing your clinical requirements, you will also have the opportunity to explore your research interests for an additional one to three years depending upon your program's requirements.
Benefits
As a resident or clinical fellow enrolled in an ACGME-accredited training program at the NIH, you can apply to receive loan repayment for up to $20,000 per year of your qualified educational debt or you may qualify for the "Competitive Loan Repayment Program" that could repay as much as $35,000 per year. Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their electronic application upon acceptance into an ACGME-accredited training program.
For details visit the intramural loan repayment program website.