NCSP has never been a one-track pipeline into traditional academic research. To be sure, many of our alumni have pursued careers and thrived as clinician investigators in academia. But the program's true mission is to train the next generation of change agents in health care — clinicians and scholars equipped to lead, not just to publish.  That's reflected in the curriculum itself: health services research methods, implementation science, health policy, leadership, and quantitative and qualitative methods, ranging from advanced causal inference to AI. These are skills that travel across a broad range of career paths, not just one funding mechanism.

Our alumni are in:

• Academic faculty and physician and nurse-scientist roles
• Health system leadership and quality/operations roles
• Health policy positions (government, think tanks, advocacy)
• Population health roles
• Industry (Payers, health tech, AI/data science)

The degree of funding volatility in any one of these sectors is lower than the volatility of any single sector alone. You're training in skills, not betting on a specific grant mechanism.

The broad-based, multi-method training NCSP provides focuses on critical thinking, communication, and core research skills. Whether working in academia, government, the non-profit sector or in industry, the field needs leaders who know how to design a study, analyze data rigorously, write and communicate findings persuasively, and lead teams – regardless of who's paying for the work. Those are exactly the skills NCSP teaches.

Yes. Your stipend is not dependent on you personally being awarded a grant. We will be transparent with you about exactly how your specific slot is funded; a value of the NCSP model is a diversity of funding partners who are deeply invested in supporting the next generation of change agents in health care!

No. Although the RWJF provided generous support to the Clinical Scholars program for about 40 years, the Foundation ended support for their training programs in their current form. Previously, the place-based Clinical Scholars program prepared physicians for health services and health policy research. A separate national program prepared nurse faculty leaders. This new program includes both nurses and physicians as trainees.

The training sites that comprise the NCSP partner with their local institutions and community partners to build upon the strong foundation of the RWJF’s prior program. These partnerships have enabled the new National Clinician Scholars Program to move forward on an exciting new path. There is a strong commitment to interprofessional training, with post- doctoral nurses training as Scholars alongside the physicians, and nursing and medical faculty are closely integrated into all aspects of the program. 

Additionally, the program builds upon its commitment to engaged research by integrating the Scholars' interests with partner organizations and faculty within each site.

• All sites share a common legacy and vision: to train and inspire agents of change;
• All sites include nurses and physicians in interdisciplinary efforts;
• Strong collaboration across sites not only through recruitment planning and a national meeting, but also sharing of critical curricular components;
• Committed network of advisors, as well as alumni from former RWJF Clinical Scholars program;
• Rigorous assessment and oversight of quality through internal and external evaluation.

• The NCSP retains many of the strengths of the legacy program. The sites have a strong commitment to innovation in teaching and scholarship, engaging partners in all phases of the research and educational process, and creating a culture where Scholars are inspired to work as change agents from within the system, with the goal of improving health of individuals, communities, and populations.
• National Clinician Scholars will receive the strong mentorship and robust training in research methods, policy, leadership, and communication skills that were hallmarks of the legacy Clinical Scholars program.

The program is two years long, and new classes begin each July.

The specific schedule will vary both across Scholars (according to their interests) and across the Program sites. Generally, the first year is heavier on didactics, as Scholars are engaged in coursework, identifying partners for their research projects, and initiating their Scholarly work. Scholars have more time in year two to devote to research. Scholars devote no more than 20% of their time to clinical activities during each year. Clinical activities may depend upon their project and interest, e.g. education, consultation, direct patient care.

Yes, you can earn a master’s degree in an affiliated program at most sites. At some sites, scholar participation in an affiliated master’s program is a mandatory component of the NCSP; at others, it is optional, or a certificate may be offered instead of a master's degree. Please inquire at each site for specifics in this regard. 

Physicians who will have completed their clinical training and nurses who have completed their doctoral degree are eligible to apply. The clinical training for physicians and the doctoral degree for nurses should have been completed within the past 5 years prior to the application process. Surgeons are the single exception to the requirement; due to the structure of the "research years" in the middle of many surgical residencies, surgical residents who will be PGY-3 or higher are eligible to enroll in the program. Funding for people who are neither United States citizens nor residents is difficult. NCSP cannot sponsor work visas under any circumstances. If you have any questions about eligibility, please reach out to Ivelys Figueroa, EdD, Central Administrative Director, at admin@nationalcsp.org.

There is no minimum or maximum number of sites to which you can apply. Some applicants have personal reasons that would only allow them to enter the program at one site. This is perfectly understandable, and in no way disadvantages your application. If you are only able to attend a single site, then only apply to that site. If you can envision yourself at a variety of sites, then apply to those that interest you.

Program sites will notify applicants whether they are offered an interview by the end of August at the latest. All interviews will be conducted virtually.   

Applicants who are offered multiple interviews may interview at up to four sites. Your decision about how many interview offers to accept will not be used as a proxy to gauge your commitment and interest in the program. On the contrary, we know that applicants have myriad factors to consider when choosing where to interview. 

No in-person interviews or site-hosted on-campus visits will be held at any of the NCSP sites.

The NCSP does not allow deferral of entry. Under extraordinary circumstances, each local site may make rare exceptions to this policy.

All NCSP Scholars receive an annual stipend. The table below lists the expected minimum stipend amounts for university-appointed Scholars across the six NCSP sites for academic year 2024-2025 (AY24-25). The stipends at the UCLA and UCSF sites are higher due to unique local conditions and institutional requirements at each site. Please reach out if you have any questions.

The NIH Loan Repayment Program (LRP) provides a competitive process for people pursuing careers in research to apply for partial repayment of student loan debt. Most federal employees are ineligible to apply. At many NCSP sites, some fellowship spots are funded through National Research Service Award (NRSA) grants, such as T32 training grants that the university has received. Scholars funded through these grants are also ineligible to apply while on the grant, although there are possible deferral workarounds. In all of these cases, scholars pursuing careers in research are eligible to apply to LRP following completion of NCSP fellowship provided they otherwise meet eligibility requirements. Note that many other types of research fellowships are funded under the same or similar mechanisms, and thus are subject to the same restrictions. See https://www.lrp.nih.gov/ for more information

Every site has slightly different ways of funding positions. Many help fund Scholar salaries through institutional research training grants from NIH or AHRQ, known as T32 grants, which are commonly used to support research fellowships. These grants have a provision whereby if fellows leave the program early to take a job that does not involve some form of health- related research or teaching they may be asked to pay back some of the salary. This provision does not apply for Scholars completing two years of training or who leave early for jobs that includes some type of research or teaching activities, which are typically defined quite broadly. See https://researchtraining.nih.gov/training/payback for more information.

If you are interested in applying, meet our eligibility requirements, and would like to speak with an NCSP faculty member to learn more, please fill out this form. You will be contacted within ten business days to schedule a call.