The NCCPA and APAP Announce New Cycle of
Joint Research Grants Program

The APAP Research Institute is pleased to announce the continuation of its grants program, jointly sponsored by the NCCPA and APAP. This program presents an opportunity for PA faculty to conduct research and make grant requests of up to $20,000. Awards will be made at the APAP Semiannual Meeting, to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, June 1–2, 2004.

The deadline for submission of proposals for this year’s NCCPA/APAP Research Grants Program is March 29, 2004.

Guidelines for NCCPA/APAP Research Grants

Mission
The NCCPA/APAP Research Grants Program was established to encourage research on the PA profession, PA education, characteristics of practicing PAs, and innovative evaluation methods to gain data of interest to PA educational programs and relevant to the certification process.

Objectives
1. To promote sound, evidence-based research on the physician assistant profession focusing on education, testing, evaluation, certification, and recertification of applicants, students, and graduates. Topics may also include the delineation and study of student and graduate competencies, evidence-based methods of evaluating these competencies, and related workforce issues and trends.

2. To increase the quality and quantity of data supporting rational improvements in the educational, evaluative, and testing practices of the physician assistant profession.

Funding
Grant requests can be made for any amount up to $20,000; however, proposals requesting less than $10,000 will be given priority. A project’s total budget may exceed these caps, but the proposal must specify the sources of additional funding beyond the cap. Several smaller awards may be made, depending on the quality and quantity of proposals received. Grants will be awarded within three months after the submission deadline.

Priorities
Proposals that address the following priorities will have a higher likelihood of receiving funding:

a) practice characteristics as they relate to competency demands either in the aggregate profession or in specific subsets of graduates;

b) testing/evaluation issues relating to student/graduate competencies or professional knowledge base;

c) evaluation of significant, widespread changes or trends in educational methodologies and their potential impact on the competence of graduates or efficiency of the educational process;

d) workforce issues or changes within the profession impacting either a, b, or c, above.

The quality of the research design will also be considered. A good research design includes an introduction well-grounded in the literature; specific, answerable research questions and/or hypotheses; a study design that minimizes alternative explanations of the results; research subjects of sufficient number to ensure that a predicted outcome will be found, if it exists; and accurate choice of analytic methods for processing information from the study.

Eligibility Criteria
1. The project must be based on research or evaluation research methodologies. Funds will not be disbursed for development of new programs, new curricular materials, or other development-oriented projects. A research question or research project should be the focus of the study.

2. Grant funds may be used for material and operations, clerical/administrative support, and specifically identified ancillary consultant needs, such as statistical analysis, etc. Institutional support is encouraged. Indirect/administrative costs are allowed, but must be listed in the itemized budget, and their costs must be included as part of the total grant request. Indirect costs and researcher salary supplement/replacement should not exceed 50% of the grant. Excessive indirect and salary replacement costs will not be viewed favorably. Grant funds may not be used for the following:

• Capital improvements, construction, or purchasing costs;
• The purchase of new equipment (i.e., computers, printers, scanners);
• Primary salary support for researchers (requests for researcher salary replacement or supplement not to exceed 50% of the total itemized budget are permissible);
• Endowments;
• General operating expenses;
• Fundraising campaigns;
• Personal expenses for educational advancement, such as tuition or books;
• Ongoing projects to improve the classroom or research facilities;
• Expenses associated with disseminating the research results, such as poster preparation, the cost of attending meetings or conferences, and manuscript preparation.

3. Proposals must include a timeline adequate to conduct the study, but not longer than two years in length. An extension may be requested in writing at least three months prior to the end of the proposed timeline.

4. A final study report must be submitted to the NCCPA/APAP Research Subcommittee within 90 days of the end of the study. Studies proposed for 24 months’ duration require that a report on the status of the project be submitted to the subcommittee by the end of the 12th month.

5. Awards will be made to institutions only, not to individuals. The principal investigator (PI) must hold either a staff or faculty position in an accredited PA program, postgraduate physician assistant residency, or a position at a recognized medical/health care testing or accreditation agency (e.g., Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA); the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG); the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA); the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB); and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Multiple proposals may be submitted from the same institution.

6. The principal or co-investigator must be a PA. For the purposes of this grant program, a physician assistant is defined as holding NCCPA certification or valid state licensure.

7. The principal investigator is responsible for the completion of the project and for submitting the one-year status report to the subcommittee. The principal investigator must be employed by the host institution for the duration of the study.

8. The NCCPA/APAP Research Subcommittee encourages dissemination of study results in professional forums, such as, but not limited to, the APAP Semiannual Meeting, the annual APAP Education Forum, and peer-reviewed publications of the PA profession. However, the subcommittee and its sponsoring groups forego editorial rights to review, direct, or limit publication or other dissemination of results of a study receiving financial support from this committee.

Research Proposal Format and Specific Requirements
Requirements for submission of a proposal to the NCCPA/APAP Research Grants Program include the following:

1. Proposals must be in Microsoft Word 4.0 or higher format (Mac or PC).

2. Proposals must be in 12-point font, with 1.5 line spacing, 1-inch margin left and right, and left margin justified. Font choices are Times New Roman, Arial, Courier New, or Tahoma.

3. Proposals must be submitted electronically (paper submissions will not be accepted) no later than midnight of the due date.

4. Two files, plus CVs, should be submitted. One file should contain the complete proposal with attachments; the second file should be a blinded copy of the proposal (all references to individuals and institutions removed), including references, budget, and timeline, without CVs and additional attachments.

Format

Proposals should be e-mailed as MS Word attachments by midnight, March 29, 2004, to Eileen Evans, eileen@aapa.org; 703/836-2272, ext. 3415. A confirmation will be sent within a couple days following submission. Authors should call to verify receipt of proposals if conformation is not received.

If you have substantive questions concerning this grants program, please contact NCCPA/APAP Research Subcommittee Chair Patricia Kelly, kelly1pe@cmich.edu; 989/774-6585.

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