http://www.fda.gov

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Rotational Summer Intern

July - August 2019 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

The work, the location and the cafeteria

What I wish was different

I wish I had more time

Advice

Get your badge
4 ${count} people found this helpful

Summer Research Intern

May - August 2019 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

The people

What I wish was different

The research was at at standstill while I was there

Advice

Take advantage of your time there
4 ${count} people found this helpful

Student Trainee

July - September 2019 • Irvine, CA

What I liked

I enjoyed working within a community of caring, supportive co-workers and mentors who were dedicated and passionate about protecting the public health and treated me as an equal despite my young age and lack of experience coming in. My co-workers and supervisor were very attentive and understanding of my needs (for learning as a trainee, and in terms of work-life balance) and made a great effort to provide me with a well-rounded, immersive, and educational experience that transformed my view of the FDA (I, like many, had many misconceptions and little knowledge of the agency prior to joining). I built many meaningful relationships and had a chance to observe the proactive management mindset and strategies of top officials in the agency.

What I wish was different

Because I only worked during the summer and started my internship later than expected, my time working at the agency was short; I would have liked to spend more time getting to explore FDA operations more in-depth and build closer connections with people. I joined meetings and attended company-wide events, but most of my time was spent sitting in a cubicle in front of a computer screen, which I found did not suit me personally.

Advice

Enter the job with an open mind, don't be afraid to ask questions, reach out, and seek opportunities to connect with people and learn about what they do. Many of the people at FDA have worked in the agency (or some related government agency) for a long time, or have worked in related industries/careers and can offer a lot of valuable insight from their experiences.
13 ${count} people found this helpful

Biomedical Engineering Research Intern

June - August 2019 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

Great experience in data mining, formulation projects, networking

What I wish was different

More structured project with deadlines

Advice

Utilize the resources and connections at your disposal at the FDA. Lots of people to talk to about virtually any field
2 ${count} people found this helpful

FDA Contractor

October 2019 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

Very flexible, many projects and events to attend, always busy

What I wish was different

Hard to find affordable housing, commute can be challenging

Advice

Stay busy and sign up for everything!!!! There are so many unique opportunities here if you take advantage of special events.
4 ${count} people found this helpful

Data Quality Analyst

July - August 2018 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

The team was great and helped me however they could. The fda itself has a positive culture. I wanted to do some hands on statistic coding and get experience working with larger data sets and that did happen.

What I wish was different

The team was under resources and understaffed. They didn’t have enough time/manpower to plan my project. Also there was a lot of bureaucracy.

Advice

learn SQL if you want to work with data and be prepared for bureaucracy if you go into government
3 ${count} people found this helpful

Pathways Intern

May - July 2018 • Silver Spring, MD

What I liked

Friendly coworkers, helpful supervisor

What I wish was different

More applicable to my major (Public Health)

Advice

Network, feel free to reach out to full time employees and hear more about what they do
2 ${count} people found this helpful