B.2.1.2 Invitation Postdoctoral Scientists Surveys-Awardee

Attachment B.2.1.2: Invitation for Postdoctoral Scientists Surveys—

(Data Collection by Awardee)

Invitation to Participate in Survey for POSTDOCTORAL SCIENTISTS – Entrance Survey

SUBJECT FOR EMAIL: NIH BEST Program: Invitation to Participate in the Postdoctoral Scientist Entrance Survey

Dear [insert name or Postdoctoral Scientist],

You are invited to participate in the national cross-site evaluation study of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Broadening Experience in Scientific Training (BEST) program. [Insert the name of your institution] is one of the 17 recipients of the BEST award and our program is called [insert name of your BEST program]. The BEST program is meant to complement and broaden biomedical research training experiences to better prepare graduate students and postdoctoral scientists for a broad range of careers.

The NIH, in partnership with awardee institutions, is surveying participants and non-participants to identify and document best practices from the BEST program. Your participation in the surveys is critical because your input will help to improve biomedical research training at our institution and nationwide. The study will assess three desired outcomes: (1) changes in understanding of career opportunities, confidence to make career decisions, and attitudes toward career opportunities; (2) reduced time to desired, non-training, non-terminal career opportunities and reduced time in postdoctoral positions; and (3) creation/further development of institutional infrastructure to continue BEST-like activities.

In addition to the national cross-site evaluation of all programs being conducted by the NIH, our institution is conducting a local evaluation to determine the effectiveness of [insert name of your BEST program]. Therefore, your participation includes answering questions related to evaluations at both levels.

[Insert paragraph describing local evaluation]

Your participation is completely voluntary and you can withdraw at any time without penalty. However, we encourage your participation and greatly value your feedback. As a token of appreciation for your time, you will be given the opportunity to participate in a raffle for various prizes.

PROCEDURES:

• Your participation includes completion of this Entrance Survey that is estimated to take 20 minutes.

• The NIH will administer the following surveys: Exit survey (as you leave your current Postdoctoral position), and Post-Exit surveys at periodic intervals for up to 15 years after Exit. The estimated time to complete each of these surveys is 15 minutes. These surveys will ask about your participation in career development activities, level of support from your department, career path, and employment history.

• In each survey, you will be asked to provide your non-institutional email address so that the NIH can contact you.

• The survey data collected by our institution and the NIH will be linked by an ID number assigned to each respondent.

PRIVACY: All information collected will be kept private and protected on a secure server to prevent disclosure. Only designated [insert name of your BEST program] staff, the NIH, and the NIH contractor, Windrose Vision, will have access to the data for analysis purposes. All personally identifiable information will be removed from your survey responses. When the results of this study are published or presented, no information will be included that would reveal any respondent’s identity.

If you have any questions about our local evaluation, please contact [insert name and email of staff]. If you have any questions about the NIH national cross-site evaluation, please contact [insert name and email of staff].

The website for the survey will be open until [Insert date] (11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time).

Proceed with the Entrance Survey

[Insert survey link]

Sincerely,

[Insert name]

[Insert email address]

Phone number [Insert number]

FIRST REMINDER EMAIL FOR POSTDOCTORAL SCIENTIST ONLINE ENTRANCE SURVEY

SUBJECT FOR EMAIL: NIH BEST Program: Reminder to Participate in the Postdoctoral Scientist Entrance Survey

Dear [insert name or Postdoctoral Scientist],

We recently sent you an email invitation to participate in the Postdoctoral Scientist Entrance survey to gather information about your career plans and participation in career development activities. This survey will be an opportunity for you to share your opinions and experiences and provide feedback. Your responses to this survey are vital to the success of the NIH study, whether you have participated in career development activities or not.

We know your time is valuable and we appreciate your effort in setting aside a few minutes to complete the survey. As a token of appreciation, you will be given the opportunity to participate in a raffle for various prizes. The online survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

If you have any questions about our local evaluation, please contact [insert name and email of staff]. If you have any questions about the NIH national cross-site evaluation, please contact [insert name and email of staff].

The website for the survey will be open until [Insert date] (11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time).

Proceed with the Entrance Survey

[Insert survey link]

Sincerely,

[Insert name]

[Insert email address]

Phone number [Insert number]

SECOND REMINDER EMAIL FOR POSTDOCTORAL SCIENTIST ONLINE ENTRANCE SURVEY

SUBJECT FOR EMAIL: NIH BEST Program: Reminder to Participate in the Postdoctoral Scientist Entrance Survey

Dear [insert name or Postdoctoral Scientist],

We recently sent you an email invitation to participate in the Postdoctoral Scientist Entrance survey to gather information about your career plans and participation in career development activities. This survey will be an opportunity for you to share your opinions and experiences and provide feedback. Your responses to this survey are vital to the success of the NIH study, whether you have participated in career development activities or not.

We know your time is valuable and we appreciate your effort in setting aside a few minutes to complete the survey. As a token of appreciation, you will be given the opportunity to participate in a raffle for various prizes. The online survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

If you have any questions about our local evaluation, please contact [insert name and email of staff]. If you have any questions about the NIH national cross-site evaluation, please contact [insert name and email of staff].

The website for the survey will be open until [Insert date] (11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time).

Proceed with the Entrance Survey

[Insert survey link]

Sincerely,

[Insert name]

[Insert email address]

Phone number [Insert number]

FINAL REMINDER EMAIL FOR THE POSTDOCTORAL SCIENTIST ONLINE ENTRANCE SURVEY

SUBJECT FOR EMAIL: NIH BEST Program: Final Reminder to Participate in the Postdoctoral Scientist Entrance Survey

Dear [insert name or Postdoctoral Scientist],

This is the final reminder to participate in the Postdoctoral Scientist Entrance survey to gather information on your career plans and participation in career development activities. Remember that your participation in this survey is vital, whether or not you have participated in any career development activities.

We know your time is valuable and we appreciate your effort in setting aside a few minutes to complete the survey. As a token of appreciation, you will be given the opportunity to participate in a raffle for various prizes. The online survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

If you have any questions about our local evaluation, please contact [insert name and email of staff]. If you have any questions about the NIH national cross-site evaluation, please contact [insert name and email of staff].

The website for the survey will be open until [Insert date] (11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time).

Proceed with the Entrance Survey

[Insert survey link]

Sincerely,

[Insert name]

[Insert email address]

Phone number [Insert number]

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