F30 Update

[gstrub]

I just wanted to let all you F30 awarees know...

I had an email exchange with my grants management specialist about what we can use the F30 institutional allowance for. Here is the exchange:

Me: I hold a F30 on which you are the grants management specialist. I was hoping you might answer a quick question on what specific costs my institutional allowance may be used for, as the writing in the PA is vague and my PI wants to be absolutely sure the costs she approves are approved costs for this grant (I am her first F30 fellow). These costs relate specifically to my upcoming transition back to the medical school phase of the F30 training and are all required costs for a M3 student.

If you could, please indicate whether the following would be allowable costs for the institustional allowance for my training:
Books: required M3/M4 coursework books and USMLE review books
Equipment: Stethescope, pager, PDA, reflex hammer kit, white coat embroidery, etc.
Examination fees: USMLE Step II CS/CK
Travel: Travel to USMLE Step II, residency interviews, and scientific meetings.

Thank you again for your time. I had spoken to someone at NIH last year with similar questions, but they told me it is really up to my PI, and my PI says we need to be sure before we spend any of the grant.

Her:
Hello,
The institutional allowance can be spent on the listed items.

Note that the listed items under the equipment will be considered as supplies not equipments.

Travel can only be spent on scientific meetings .

Thanks

So, looks like Step II is covered. Fantastic!

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[Neuronix]

 

[JulyMorning]

Excellent!
Thank you very much for posting this information! Oh, and it's awesome that Step II is covered - that's a big chunk of money saved right there!

Neuronix, that was an awesome reply!

 

[gstrub]

I am also looking forward to using the travel funds after interviews during M4. There are a lot of "scientific meetings" that can be attended with $4200.

That brings up a point I was pondering this morning. For me, my grant is re-loaded in late June, and M3 starts for me in July. So I have two full years of funding left starting in June. I think I should try to get the Step II paid out of the funds for this upcoming year (M3), that way I have the full amount the following year for travel expenses, etc. I am wondering if $4200 will be enough for StepII, books, and all of M3 essentially with regards to equipment (I need to buy a pager and a PDA, plus a new stethoscope). In other words, I don't think I can even spend the full $4200 on just M3 supplies, and there will be little to no "travel to scientific meetings" during M3.

The question will be whether I can register and pay for step II before my M4 funds kick in in June 2010. I guess it's a nice problem to have...

 

[tomhobbes]

good to know. thanks gstrub.

 

[Neuronix]

Did you get the full $4200? My school grant manager said:

"You have $2750, cost of insurance offsets COE."

They also don't believe it will cover most of the stuff you listed. I'll probably have to send the same e-mail you sent to the NIH.

Also, did anyone here get a stipend supplement because they got a grant? I feel like my school is the only one that does not supplement your stipend when you get your own grant.

 

[gstrub]

I got the full $4200 because my program (not my grant) pays the health insurance. Yes my stipend is supplemented by the school...why would you apply for a grant to take a paycut?


Email your NIH grants manager. Don't let your school try to allocate your funds to some BS cost that doesn't involve your training! That being said, the NIH may tell you that your program must also approve of your expenditures....they don't check how you spend the money, they leave it up to the school. So when I showed my PI the email, she said fine, because all she was worried about was NIH policy. When I spend the $, my department approves each purchase internally. If your PI wants the money for themselves...that may be more difficult to address.

 

[Neuronix]

Yes my stipend is supplemented by the school...why would you apply for a grant to take a paycut?

I still get the same stipend amount as every other student. What many students have noted to me, including some in other departments at my school, is that obtaining your own grant allows the school to supplement your stipend over the level of the other students (on the order of a couple thousand per year).

When I spend the $, my department approves each purchase internally. If your PI wants the money for themselves...that may be more difficult to address.

My PI and grad school department have completely washed their hands of my grant. Now that I'm back in clinics I have to go through a School of Medicine general grants manager.

The only question now is, how much research do I claim I'm doing on the non-competing grant renewal form? Is it ok to say I'm doing 100% coursework?

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

I still get the same stipend amount as every other student. What many students have noted to me, including some in other departments at my school, is that obtaining your own grant allows the school to supplement your stipend over the level of the other students (on the order of a couple thousand per year).



My PI and grad school department have completely washed their hands of my grant. Now that I'm back in clinics I have to go through a School of Medicine general grants manager.

The only question now is, how much research do I claim I'm doing on the non-competing grant renewal form? Is it ok to say I'm doing 100% coursework?

How did you suspend the grant during the year off?

 

[gstrub]

I have my fellowship still being paid by the biochemistry department. I wanted that scenario as I imagined one like yours....I had spent all that time working to ensure I would have control over the $ and didn't want to lose it. Plus every time my funding source changes I find myself without a paycheck for at least a month, then I have to use a credit card, and do they reimburse you for the interest? Of course not. So it worked out best to keep things the way they were.

As for the supplementation, our program originally said we would get a bonus of a few thousand dollars. That got everyone to apply. Then they gyped us and claimed it was the budget, yet they still accepted 2 students from the M1 class as fully funded, so whatever. Just another example of many...

As for the progress report, are you saying your last one was exhaustive of everything you did? I'm sure you can come up with another "years" worth of progress. Plus, don't forget that the F30 is for MD/PhD students only, so they know you are clinical for a year or 2 after you leave the lab. I will be writing about work done in the lab by others in pursuit of the same project, as well as coursework.

 

[Neuronix]

How did you suspend the grant during the year off?

Our school's grants manager had me draft a letter requesting a LOA which they signed and sent to the NIH. Quite easy really. The NIH sent me an official notice of the LOA. I just sent a new letter to update my restart date.

 

[kapMD/PhD]

I've had an F30 for almost 4 years and am (finally) finishing school this year - have any of you had problems taking the 'equipment' that you bought for your education (books, stethoscopes, laptops/computers, etc) with you when you leave? UG....I hope this doesn't turn into a problem.....

 

[gstrub]

I think this will be up to the PI. I don't expect them to ask for my books, steth, etc. However, keeping my laptop may be a problem. If they don't ask, I am taking it.

However, I am about to hand in a receipt for over $2000 for reimbursement for ERAS fees and away rotation registrations, so we'll see what kind of mood they're in.

FYI, I emailed the NIH about this, and they explicitly stated it is completely up to the program (i.e. whoever manages your grant).
-G

 

[kapMD/PhD]

just to update - My school is ok with it. Apparently the problem with taking things (equipment) like computers when you move to another institution is whether the new institution will 'accept' it. So in a nutshell....apparently its just more paperwork to fill out, but shouldn't be much of a problem (hopefully).
Thanks.

 

[Neuronix]

Graduating in a week with ~$700 left on my grant COW. Any ideas what to do with it? I already bought a UWorld Step 3 subscription... I wanted to buy a tablet but they absolutely blocked me on that not being an educational expense.

 

[Shifty B]

Get some books. Find whichever books are the most useful for your specialty and get them. Since there is such a small market for them, they will be expensive. However, if you don't need them they usually have pretty good resale value... until there is a new edition.

 

[hopefuldoc97239]

Travel: Travel to USMLE Step II, residency interviews, and scientific meetings.

Scientific meetings?!?

By all means, use your grant money for residency interviews if they'll let you, but if I were you I wouldn't tell my PI that the money can be used to attend meetings. Make them pay for that!

When I had my F31 I used a chunk of my institutional allowance to buy a sweet iMac (not the basic model, but a nice one with a massive screen) and I got to keep it after I graduated. Use the R01s to pay for your travel!