Trainee Candidates and Retention Plans

Trainee Candidates and Retention Plans is a subsection of the 25-page Program Plan's “B. Program Plan” component. Use specifics from Table 6A/B to illustrate that you will be able to successfully recruit from a competitive pool of well-qualified candidates in appropriate numbers and levels. Include, in general terms, the following:

• Size of the candidate pool (including prior clinical and research training and career level required for the program)
• Justification for the number of requested training slots 
• Specific plans to recruit candidates and how these plans will be implemented (expand on, not duplicate, info in the Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity)
• The nomination and selection process to select new trainees and criteria for trainees’ reappointment
  • Identification and recruitment strategies from diverse variety of organization types
• Plans to engage trainees in research career development, mentoring, and skills development
• Transition plans ensuring trainees are supported in various career options
• Evidence-informed retention activities to sustain participation of trainees from all backgrounds, including: 
  • How approaches are selected and tailored toward individual trainee needs (examples can be found on the NIH’s Recruitment & Retention website)
  • Efforts to monitor trainees’ academic and research process 
  • Strategies to coordinate with, and differentiate from, broader UCLA retention efforts 
• Multifactorial review process that considers metrics beyond previous institution, GPA, and standardized test scores
• Note: While a multifactorial admissions process can consider a variety of factors (i.e., how a candidate’s experiences and perspectives further their commitment to the program’s goals), it is not permissible to use a trainee’s race, ethnicity, or sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, or transgender status) as eligibility or selection criteria.

Data Table References

Incorporate the following into the "B. Program Plan" > "e. Trainee Candidates and Retention Plans" section of your Program Plan. Learn more about Data Tables on the Data Table Support webpage.

Table 6A/B. Training Program Candidates, Entrants, and their Characteristics for the Past Five Years

• Summarize:
  • Numbers of potential trainees
  • Trainee characteristics
  • Trainee eligibility for support
  • Enrollment trends

Page Limit: Must fit within the Program Plan’s 25 page maximum. About 1 page.

Format: Section header: “B. Program Plan” | Subsection header: “e. Trainee Candidates and Retention Plans”

Component Instruction Index

Access detailed instructions for each component of the Research Training Program Plan. If you have further questions contact GSUTraining@mednet.ucla.edu.