Writing a competitive individual National Research Service Award (F31) application.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are committed to increasing the number of PhD-prepared persons to meet the demand for well-trained behavioral, biological, and biobehavioral scientists. The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31) program provides financial support for full-time PhD students who are committed to research careers in scientific health-related fields relevant to the NIH. This article provides guidance for PhD nursing students who are preparing an individual NRSA application with emphasis on those being submitted to the National Institute of Nursing Research. The advantages of receiving this award are described along with the steps to complete the application. After careful self- and environmental assessments, the task of writing begins in close collaboration with research mentors. Essential components of NRSA applications are described along with strategies for making applications competitive and, ultimately, successful.