Inclusion Criteria: Inclusion is based on the household income, expressed in Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).

• Must be a dues-paying member of the CIR NW
• For a Single-Income Household: AGI < 100% PGY-9 level salary qualifies
• For a Dual-Income Household: AGI < 160% PGY-9 level salary qualifies
• Regardless of household income, two UW resident-parent households will always be included

Exclusion Criteria:

Residents who do not have children

All eligible residents are assigned a score, based on the following criteria:

• 1 point for every qualifying resident

Residents with an extreme financial hardship receive additional points:

• 0.5 pt: Single-Income Households with AGI < 80% PGY-1 level salary
• 0.5 pt: Dual-Income Households with AGI < 160% PGY-1 level salary
• 0.5 pt: Additional for Single-Parent Households

For children 5 years old or under (to reflect the added costs of childcare for young children), there are additional points added:

• 0.66 pt for each child <1yr (not including unborn children)
• 0.5 pt for each child 1-2yo
• 0.33 pt for each child 3-4yo
• 0.15 pt for each child 5yo

Other Guidelines:

• Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) can be found on form 1040/1040A/1040EZ of your tax return. AGI is Household based, if significant others (SOs) are filing taxes separately then the submitted AGI must be the sum of the resident and SO’s AGIs filed separately.
• Two Resident Households constitute those in which both parents are CIR members
• For Two Resident Households, each resident-parent would qualify for the baseline 1 pt. Two resident households should submit one application. The extreme financial hardship and weighted scores per child will each be applied only once for the household (to avoid counting each child more than once). 
• Single-Parent Households are those in which the resident has no SO living in the home and/or no SO contributing to childcare outside the home 
• Dual-Income Household is defined as the SO working >50% FTE. Households with SOs who are full-time students would also count as a dual-income household. 
• Residents who have separated from one another and share a child (or children) together will be counted as separate households. The weighted scores from the children in such a scenario will be cut in half, with one-half of the score going to each resident. 
• Applications are done on the honor system. Please be honest. You will be asked to legally attest that the information you are providing is accurate.

Executive summary (250 words)

• Provide a brief overview of the problem studied and what you propose to do to research it.

Background (up to 1/2 page)

• What are you interested in and why is this an important problem to study?
• This does not need to be an in-depth review, but it should be enough for a peer reviewer to understand your project.

Proposed Research Project (1-3 pages)

• State your hypothesis in one sentence.
• Include specific aims (maximum of 2) and (very) brief methods.
• Specify who you will be working with and where the work will be done.

Timeline (up to 1/2 page)

• Specify when the research will be carried out and any significant project milestones.

Budget (up to 1/2 page)

• Budget CAN include: expenses associated with attending a scientific meeting (in-person or virtually), such as abstract submission fees, airfare, hotel, meeting registration, meals (cannot exceed $70 per diem), taxi/uber, etc.
• Budget CANNOT include: research supplies and equipment (reagents, software, machines), contracted personal services (research subjects, outside consultants), supplies and materials (books, assays, equipment, computer hardware/software), gift cards, salaries, or indirect costs.
• Budget cannot exceed $1400. If budget exceeds $1400, you must find other sources to support your meeting expenses or research expenses.
• In the Budget Justification section, describe why attending this meeting or undertaking this research project is important to your career development/research and discuss other funding sources if the requested budget cannot fully support the meeting expenses or research expenses.
• These funds will only support in-person travel if the applicant will be the presenting author. Proof of abstract acceptance and receipts for meeting expenses will be required for reimbursement. Awarded funds that are not used by the end of the academic year will be forfeited by the awardee. Extensions will be granted if requested for up to 6 additional months, if the awardee is still a current dues-paying member in the subsequent year.

References (up to 1/2 page)

• Mark each citation with sequential numbers.
• Format references according to the AMA Manual of Style 10th edition.

Grant Formatting

• 0.5″ page margins, single-spaced, no less than 12-point Arial font (regular).
• 5 pages maximum.
• Use of provided template below is required. Please contact us if you are having difficulty using this template.
• Please do not submit PDFs. Any PDF submissions will be rejected without review. We will contact you if the formatting of your grant appears to be corrupted.

Useful Links

• Tips on writing a competitive grant proposal
• Download Application here
• Submit Application here

Negotiating an employment contract can be a daunting and intimidating process. Below are a few things to look for as you negotiate your first post-residency employment agreement.

1. Take stock of priorities and focus negotiations accordingly. An employment agreement is a bilateral contract, meaning it is supposed to be a reflection of a negotiation between both parties – physicians should not feel like they must “take it or leave it.” While not every goal will be achievable, physicians should come up with their list of “must haves,” and focus bargaining on those areas.
2. Make sure to get it in writing! Often, physicians who have been offered jobs have been told many things about the terms and conditions of their employment in casual conversations or in email exchanges with a recruiter, but those things are not spelled out in the contract. Commonly excluded things include the number of shifts the physician is expected to work, how much call must be taken, the schedule and length of shifts, and how much vacation or other leave is available. Remember that if it is not in writing, it does not exist. It is more than reasonable and totally appropriate to ask for everything that has been promised to be reduced to writing and included in the agreement.
3. Employee or independent contractor? Physicians work as both employees and independent contractors. Most contracts will expressly characterize the relationship as one or the other, though that characterization may or may not be upheld in court. There can be pros and cons to either, though it is important to understand the differences, including things like the impact of laws that protect employees but do not apply to independent contractors (such as FMLA, employment discrimination laws, the ADA, etc.), differences in tax implications, and tort liability for employees v. independent contractors.
4. Is the non-compete acceptable? Non-compete agreements (“NCAs”) that restrict a physician’s ability to practice in a designated area for a specified amount of time are routinely included in employment agreements. Courts in Washington will not enforce an NCA that are necessary to protect legitimate employer interests, not unreasonably burdensome to the employee, and not harmful to the general public. A NCA will also not be enforced if it is unreasonably broad in terms of geographic limitations, or that restricts an employee for an excessively long period of time. Washington employers have required physicians to sign NCAs ranging from 5-20 miles, and from 9 months to two years in duration. Whether a given NCA would be enforceable is fact-specific, and there is likely to be some uncertainty at the time the NCA is executed. Employees may want to try to push back to limit the geographic scope and duration of a NCA, or to limit its application to situations where the physician is discharged for cause or voluntarily resigns, or to make the NCA effective only after a trial period.
5. Read all the policies and other rules incorporated into the contract. Many employment agreements incorporate by reference various employer policies. It’s important to review such documents to make sure they are acceptable. Contracts may also grant the employer the right to adopt new policies that will apply to the physician. Such policies will not override the terms of an individual agreement, but only to the extent the agreement expressly conflicts with the policies. This is another reason to make sure that all key terms are reduced to writing, and thus not subject to being overridden by a later-adopted employer policy.
6. Ensure the contract guarantees liability coverage. Physicians should make sure that the contract requires the employer to procure sufficient malpractice coverage (limits of $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate is standard). One thing to look for in particular is whether the employer is required to purchase “tail” insurance, covering claims that arose during the physician’s employment but not filed until after the relationship has ended, is included.
7. How will the relationship end? Many physician employment agreements contain provisions requiring either party to give notice to the other before terminating the agreement. Some agreements contain provisions restricting the employer from terminating employment except “for cause” (which should be expressly defined), while others may allow the employer to terminate without cause but require a longer notice period to the physician if the employer chooses to terminate for no cause.

This guide provides just a few areas of focus and is not intended to be a substitute for legal advice. Each employment contract presents its own unique challenges and opportunities and an attorney should be consulted to help you navigate the specific issues presented by your employment agreement.