Project Summary

In September of 2010, The National Institutes for Health (NIH) Clinical Center, SEEC, and Ivymount School launched a Project SEARCH chapter in Montgomery County for young adults with developmental disabilities. This endeavor is a collaboration between NIH, SEEC, The Ivymount School, the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration, and the Maryland Department of Rehabilitation Services.

Project SEARCH interns are immersed in the NIH workplace, receiving classroom instruction and rotating among three distinct internships in positions that are meaningful to the mission of the Department to which they are assigned.  Department assignments are based on each jobseeker’s strengths and interests.

At the conclusion of this program’s first three years, 30 of 36 graduating interns are now NIH employees, working a minimum of 20 hours per week and earning competitive wages and benefits.

NIH Internship Duties Include:

• Assisting pharmacy techs to supply basic medications to different units and floors and restocking supplies in central pharmacy
• Inventorying and organizing Housekeeping supplies 
• Providing light maintenance support to office and patient units throughout the facility NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health)
• Offering database support for the National Database on Autism Research (NDAR) NINDS (National Institute of Neurological Disorders) 
• Providing clerical assistance to the Ethics office Clinical Center Cafeteria 
• Baking cookies, doing light cleaning and dish-washing for the Clinical Center Cafeteria