Frequently Asked Questions

1:1 Advising

STEP 1: DO YOU HAVE A CONTRACT?

We require a contract to begin any work. Your organization may already have one in place! This is our company requirement and is independent of your organization’s processes for creating a Purchase Order (PO), setting us up as a vendor in your system, etc.

STEP 2: ARE YOU SEEKING A CONTRACT?

We only contract for K and R applications with organizations for groups of projects valued at $25,000 or more. Organizations have flexibility to cover multiple projects and multiple applicants. A contract can be for any time period, including a year or more. Contact us to discuss contracts for center grant applications (P) and cooperative agreements (U).

You can use organizational funds such as start-up money only if your organization has a contract with us.

Please inquire about whether we have a current contract with your organization.

It is our policy only to conduct work with a contract in place. This requirement is separate from payment procedures.
Your PO alone is not enough. We require specific terms and conditions, which are necessary safeguards for us.
If your organization does not already have a contract with us we cannot help with this project. New organizational contracts typically take months to negotiate. In addition, Dr. Bouvier tends to book months ahead, so she likely cannot accommodate a deadline next month.
No. Only contracts with an organization are min. $25,000. However, you would need to have a lab chief, department chair, division head, or pre-award support office agree to sponsor such a contract, so that your work can be covered by it.

No problem. You can write a one-year contract for $25,000 and identify applicants and projects later.

It is usually a simple administrative matter to extend the date on a contract.

Organizational Virtual Course Library Membership

The learning management system, called Thinkific, is hosted on the Thinkific server.

You will be provided with an organization-specific URL that you may distribute however you choose. 

For the best experience, Chrome and Safari are recommended.

In order to take advantage of all the functionality including the interactive slides and checklists, use a desktop or laptop

Mobile devices, iPads, and tablets can be used and are suggested for viewing only. They will not work will not work if trying to use the interactive slides or checklists

We suggest that if you put it on your website, you do not put it in areas that are accessible to the public. 

They may access it with the URL and an organization-specific email when your membership begins (typically when the licensing agreement is signed). It takes less than a minute for them to gain access the first time, and even faster thereafter. Learners can view courses from any device, 24/7, for one full year.

Accredited CME providers must ensure that activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ meet all AMA requirements, which include core requirements, format-specific requirements, and requirements for designating and awarding AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Our agreement covers up to 400 learners at a given time throughout your membership. You have the option to pay-per-learner after that.

Throughout your membership, our Outreach Specialist will work with you on various strategies to advertise the library of courses.

Yes we track this information. It will be available to you at any time through your client-facing dashboard. The dashboard will provide additional metrics and data on library usage. 

We are experimenting with ways to tag users in categories that the client has identified as important to them, such as a specific department or school. This may help when determining cost sharing among entities within your organization.

We ask learners to complete an evaluation at the end of each course. 

At this time, most of our courses are CME accredited. A learner may earn credit by completing the entire course and evaluation. 

You will have access to evaluations and testimonials at any time through your client-facing dashboard. 

In our new learning management system, we are able to offer more granular usage metrics, such as who has viewed which courses, how much of the course was viewed, when it was viewed, how many logins there were in a given time period, etc. This and more will be reviewed during your onboarding meeting, which will take place once your licensing agreement is signed and you have access to the library. 

At this time, attendance is not capped for our members.

Learners may email questions in advance, which we will answer at AGE. They may view recordings of AGE on our YouTube channel.

Continuing Medical Education Credits (CME)

Yes. You must complete an entire course including the evaluation. If you are an MD/DO, your certificate will state that you have been awarded AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (CME credits). For others, your certificate will indicate that the activity was designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. For many clinicians, these credits can be used toward your state’s licensing requirements.

CME stands for Continuing Medical Education. AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ is a type of CME.
You can read more here.
AMA PRA credit may only be claimed by, and awarded to, physicians, defined by the AMA as individuals who have completed an allopathic (MD), osteopathic (DO) or an equivalent medical degree from another country.

The Massachusetts Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Accredited CME providers must ensure that activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ meet all AMA requirements, which include core requirements, format-specific requirements, and requirements for designating and awarding AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Credit for activities is determined by measuring the interaction within the education. Every 60 minutes equals one (1) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™; credit is designated in 15 minute or 0.25 credit increments and rounded to the nearest quarter hour.

Wait!

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for the latest NIH news, grantwriting tips, and more.

NIH-October-2023-Newsletter