How do I become a Clinical Research Associate?

If you are a medical student that doesn't match, and can't scramble into a position, should you do a research year and 'try again next year' or should you throw caution to the wind and become a non-clinical doctor?

• Answer:

  Most people can find an internship or fellowship for a year even if it is not part of the match. I would strongly recommend sticking with clinical medicine if you enjoy it. For example in ophthalmology, fellowships are not acgme accredited so you can do them without doing an internship. Most people will do ocular pathology or a mostly research fellowship. These help significantly when applying again for residency, especially for foreign medical grads if you do them with someone in a lesser known medical center with a residency program that you are interested in because your letters of recommendation are that much more meaningful.