There are several ways to find research positions after graduation.
The most common is that a student continues to work for his undergrad PI as a lab manager or paid research asst. Or to work for someone within the same department at his undergrad college/university.
Networking thru your PI or thru any research proctor you had during a summer research experience at other schools is good way to find positions.
Both lab manager & research asst. positions are also posted on university job websites/job boards so if you want to relocate after college, you’ll start looking for for a job midway thru your senior year of college. Be aware these positions can be quite competitive. (D2’s undergrad PI posted a lab manager position after D2 turned it down and got 60+ resumes.) Many require you to sign a 2 year contract as a condition for being hired.
The NIH also hires new grads for research positions. (Minimum 2 year commitment required.)
D2 got her research position by cold emailing her CV to research groups at the a university/medical school near where she wanted to live after graduation. Her research credentials and unique skill set got her several interviews and eventually a PI created a position specifically for her.
I am sorry if I was confusing. I was not writing about research being done before starting medical school but responding to a comment made back a bit by MidwestDad3 about the increasing popularity of a fifth year for research during medical school. D’s school had the option of taking the fifth year for an MPH built in if you wanted but people used the fifth year in a variety of ways. D came to medical school with an MPhil (two year graduate degree in the UK) in an area that included much of what one would learn when getting an MPH so during her research year she created an individual project building off of past work in medical anthropology while keeping the underserved immigrant population of the US in mind. In terms of financial support, D had friends who wrote proposals and got funding in a number of research areas by receiving awards like a Doris Duke or Fulbright. D was working in women’s reproductive health with a global perspective and applied for funding to Planned Parenthood and a number of global health organizations, as an example.
Thank you @Elleneast @mom2collegekids @WayOutWestMom @MiamiDAP @iwannabe_Brown
@texaspg for very good advice. I think I have some bearing on what to do.
Thanks again 
and roll tide
5th year popularity after Med. school seems to depend on the Med. School (from what I gather here on CC). Not a very popular idea at D’s Med. School at all. In fact, I heard maybe about one case. However, when D. went to National yearly convention for her (potential at that point) specialty where she was invited for her poster presentation, she said that she met possibly 2 - 3 other med. students there and others (besides D.) in fact took a 5th year for research, which was the proof that it is getting more popular but not at D’s school.
Midwest dad was talking about 5th year BEFORE med school. He used the phrase “med school applicants”
Research years during med school would be completely off topic to what OP (and midwest dad) are talking about
Sorry for the misread on my part. Powers that be please feel free to delete my posts #38 & #41.