St. Vincent's
Research Associates Program

The specialty of Emergency Medicine cares for acutely sick and injured patients. Research in Emergency Medicine addresses the most basic issues in clinical medical care. An urban emergency department provides a safety net for those who have nowhere else to go.
Research in this setting can identify fundamental issues in health care delivery and lead to improvements in the quality of emergency care.
The Department of Emergency Medicine at St. Vincent’s Medical Center is recruiting college students to join our research efforts investigating clinical questions in this demanding setting.

This 397-bed community hospital is a major teaching affiliate for the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. The Emergency Department cares for more than 55,000 patients per year.

St. Vincent’s Medical Center serves an area of tremendous diversity in both cultural and socioeconomic background. It is on the front lines of urban health care in the largest city in Connecticut. It is a Trauma Center and serves as a Center of Excellence for cardiovascular disease; cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and support; joint replacement; women's services; senior services; and a full range of behavioral health services. It provides comprehensive health care services for the catchment area of southwestern Connecticut.

Resident Physicians from internal medicine and radiology, nursing, and pharmacy post-graduate Residents,

Medical Students, PA students, and Paramedic trainees receive training at St. Vincent’s.

The concept of service to those most in need underpins the teaching activities in our setting.

The research program in the Department of Emergency Medicine at St. Vincent’s Medical Center is growing. Projects will involve a broad spectrum of clinical issues coming to the ED. A specific area of interest is providing primary health care screening in the emergency department. Previous work by investigators in our group has enrolled well over 100,000 patients and their visitors as participants in studies using the RA model.

College students are active members of our research team’s efforts.

These Research Associates (RAs):

● identify patients who are eligible for our studies,
● read information about the studies to the patients,
● collect data from the patients' history and physical findings, and
● generally facilitate the completion of the research encounters.

Serving as a RA is an opportunity that specifically involves direct contact with large numbers of
patients and their visitors presenting with the variety of acute illnesses and injuries seen in the
emergency department.

We are looking for college students who are discerning their career goals in the health care
professions to be in our program. These RAs commit to serving one 4-hour session each
week for an academic semester in the St. Vincent’s Medical Center Emergency Department.
They become focused experts on the particulars of each project.

The potential is there for students who wish to become even more involved. Faculty and resident
researchers need RAs to participate in all aspects of producing the research. Skills such as
research methodology and searching the medical literature can be developed by those RAs who
extend themselves.

In a global sense, as an RA, you will be helping to conduct research that advances medical knowledge and can promote the better delivery of health care. Very practically, you will see medical care in its most basic elements. It is a tremendous way to find out if a career in the health care profession is for you.

RAs are evaluated on every shift by clinicians from the Department of Emergency Medicine.
Members of the Program cadre observe participant enrollments by each RA at First Participant, Mid- and Final-Semester. Those completing each semester have these grades compiled into a letter of evaluation that reflects the supervision of their research activities and their performance.

If you are motivated, additional work on specific projects could result in more responsibility all the way to inclusion as an author in a publication. The RA Program cooperates with the students' colleges concerning academic credit.
Most importantly, being an RA welcomes you into the sorority and fraternity of service to the sick that motivates the people in the Department of Emergency Medicine at St. Vincent’s Medical Center.

THINKING ABOUT BECOMING A RESEARCH ASSOCIATE?

Are you a college student or graduate who is interested in going to medical school or other health professional school?
Are you looking for firsthand experience working with sick people to know that this career choice is for you?
Is a position with direct responsibilities that are critically evaluated by emergency physicians and nurses something you see as valuable for a professional school application?
Do you see the Emergency Department as a place where you can see acute patients whose illnesses or injuries are those that you might be caring for, no matter what specialty of medicine you are potentially interested in?
Are you willing to volunteer a minimum of one 4-hour shift per week in the Emergency Department for an academic semester to advance your career goals?
If you answer "yes" to these questions, you may be ready to accept the challenge of serving as a Research Associate (RA)in the clinical research program at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Positions are available for the fall, spring, and summer semesters.
Are you a college graduate looking for a challenging post-bac year willing to volunteer 20 hours per week? Look below for information on Chief RA application.

Line RA application

GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR POST-BAC GROWTH

Are you a college graduate who is looking for a challenging post-bac year to enhance a medical school application and "kick-start"; your career in the triad of academic medicine (patient care, teaching, and clinical research)?

JOIN US

Our Team

Keith Bradley, MD, FACEP, Director Research Associates Program
Steven Valassis, MD, FACEP, Chief of Emergency Medicine, St. Vincent's Medical Center
Aasiya Kothawala, Chief Research Associate
Eva Quigley, Chief Research Associate
Jeremiah Vidal, Chief Research Associate

Upcoming Sessions

Summer semester, 2024

June 10 - August 11

June 9 Training Day
- Sunday 8:00 a.m.
- Hawley Conference Center at St. Vincent's Medical Center

Fall semester, 2024

October 7 - December 15

October 6 Training Day
- Sunday 8:00 a.m.
- Hawley Conference Center at St. Vincent's Medical Center

FAQs

What are the qualifications to be a RA?

You must:
● be a student at or graduate of a college
● be discerning and/or preparing for a career in the health professions.
● have a letter of endorsement [link to HPA endorsement template] from your health professions adviser that you are appropriate for the program.

What GPA or prior experiences are necessary to get into the program?

There are no other criteria for serving as an RA. We do suggest that students with <3.0 GPAs would be better off devoting their time to studying during the fall and spring semesters. An exception to this would be the student for whom the clinical experience could be the impetus to better academics; this is up to the discretion of the health
professions adviser.

How do I know what shift I will be serving?

The shifts are divided into 4-hour blocks for each day, from 8:00 a.m. through midnight. The order in which RAs choose the shift that they will serve each week during that semester is determined according to a) how many semesters they have served in the program and b) the date/time stamp from their PayPal payment of the administrative fee. This is arranged through the Chief RAs for Recruiting and Personnel prior to the start of the semester.

What if I will have trouble with transportation getting to St. Vincent’s for my shifts?

We encourage two RAs to work a shift. Through the shift selection process, RAs are generally able to pair up with a transportation partner, including rides back and forth from
commuter stops such as Metro-North in Bridgeport.

After I have submitted my application and administrative fee to the RA Program at St. Vincent’s, what happens next?

You will be on-boarded through

Hartford HealthCare
Health clearance
Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)
RA Program at St. Vincent’s
A letter of endorsement from your Health Professions Adviser [Letter of endorsement template]
Didactic material about the study for the upcoming semester

Do I have to have my Immunization Record and Letter of Endorsement from my Health Professions Adviser before I start the semester?

Yes. No exceptions. Before you can select a shift, you must submit your Immunization Records and have a letter of endorsement from your health professions adviser.

What about HIPPA?

The Health Insurance Protection and Accountability Act (HIPAA). RAs receive specific
training on confidentiality and are required to sign an agreement to protect patient information. With HIPAA as an important component, all studies are reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Hartford HealthCare prior to being initiated.

Endorsement Letter

Adviser's Endorsement Letter

To participate in the Research Associates Program, each RA must have the endorsement of their Health Professions Adviser. This does not mean a letter of recommendation or anything so extensive.

The following is all that is required: Copy and paste, filling in the appropriate spaces, and choosing the appropriate pronouns will be just fine.

Opening Hours

Advisers:
Please send this as an email attachment to on your official college stationery.

Keith Bradley, MD, FACEP

Director, Research Associates Program at St. Vincent’s

66 Lilalyn Drive
Fairfield, CT 06825
KBradley@theNARAP.org

__________________ is a student in good standing at _______________ College/University. He/she is looking toward the possibility of a career in the health profession. He/she has my
endorsement to serve as a Research Associate in the Emergency Department of St. Vincent’s Medical Center.

St. Vincent's
Research Associates Program

THINKING ABOUT BECOMING A RESEARCH ASSOCIATE?

GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR POST-BAC GROWTH

Our Team

Upcoming Sessions

Summer semester, 2024

June 10 - August 11

Fall semester, 2024

October 7 - December 15

FAQs

What are the qualifications to be a RA?

What GPA or prior experiences are necessary to get into the program?

How do I know what shift I will be serving?

What if I will have trouble with transportation getting to St. Vincent’s for my shifts?

After I have submitted my application and administrative fee to the RA Program at St. Vincent’s, what happens next?

Do I have to have my Immunization Record and Letter of Endorsement from my Health Professions Adviser before I start the semester?

What about HIPPA?

Adviser's Endorsement Letter

Opening Hours

The National Alliance of Research Associates Programs

A Unique Approach to Clinical Research

St. Vincent's Research Associates Program

THINKING ABOUT BECOMING A RESEARCH ASSOCIATE?

GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR POST-BAC GROWTH

Our Team

Upcoming Sessions

Summer semester, 2024 June 10 - August 11

Fall semester, 2024 October 7 - December 15

FAQs

What are the qualifications to be a RA?

What GPA or prior experiences are necessary to get into the program?

How do I know what shift I will be serving?

What if I will have trouble with transportation getting to St. Vincent’s for my shifts?

After I have submitted my application and administrative fee to the RA Program at St. Vincent’s, what happens next?

Do I have to have my Immunization Record and Letter of Endorsement from my Health Professions Adviser before I start the semester?

What about HIPPA?

Adviser's Endorsement Letter

Opening Hours

The National Alliance of Research Associates Programs

A Unique Approach to Clinical Research

St. Vincent's
Research Associates Program

Summer semester, 2024

June 10 - August 11

Fall semester, 2024

October 7 - December 15