Faculty Policies

These policies summarize key expectations from the 2026 Faculty License Agreement.

Teaching with VitalTalk Materials – Powered by VitalTalk

Upon successful completion of VitalTalk Faculty Development, faculty are granted a limited license to use VitalTalk intellectual property (“VitalTalk Materials”) to teach communication skills within their home institution.

“VitalTalk Materials” include any educational material, website content, audio or visual programming, mobile content, and all other online digital, electronic, or print products and services owned, operated, or produced by VitalTalk.

Any course, workshop, presentation, or educational activity using VitalTalk Materials or derivative content is considered Powered by VitalTalk and must:

  • Be limited to use in teaching learners from the faculty member’s home institution unless otherwise granted permission via our approval process
  • Include attribution to VitalTalk
  • Follow VitalTalk licensing guidelines

A “home institution” is the hospital, medical center, or organization where a licensed VitalTalk faculty member is employed or contracted. Affiliated hospitals or organizations within a larger health system are not automatically included. Learners taught using VitalTalk Materials must likewise be employed, contracted, or otherwise affiliated with the home institution — for example, as students, residents, or fellows; outside learners with no such affiliation may not be taught under this license.

Restrictions. Faculty May not:

  • Teach outside their home institution without written permission from VitalTalk
  • Offer advertised public or open-enrollment courses
  • Use VitalTalk Faculty Development or train-the-trainer materials to independently train additional faculty or reproduce the VitalTalk faculty development process
  • Use VitalTalk materials for profit

Official Powered by VitalTalk Roleplay Courses (Faculty Development Prerequisite)

Any course, workshop, digital content, lecture or other educational activity using VitalTalk Materials is broadly considered Powered by VitalTalk. An Official Powered by VitalTalk Roleplay Course is a roleplay-based course meeting the criteria below, which qualifies learners for the Faculty Development prerequisite.

Official Powered by VitalTalk roleplay courses:

  • Follow the VitalTalk facilitation map, include role play with simulated patients and are at least 3 hours of educational content. Must be taught by licensed VitalTalk Faculty.

These courses:

  • Qualify learners as a prerequisite for Faculty Development, must be reported through the Impact Tracker and must use the official Powered by VitalTalk logo

Other Educational Uses

VitalTalk recognizes that faculty may wish to seek permission to use VitalTalk Materials across a range of educational and professional settings. Please fill out the linked form to request written permission before using VitalTalk Materials in:

  • Conference presentations
  • Speaking engagements
  • Educational events outside your home institution
  • Publications, research studies, or book chapters

Adaptation and Dissemination of Materials

Dissemination: Materials should only be accessed through the Faculty Backstage Portal or directly from VitalTalk. VitalTalk materials are licensed property and may not be:

  • Shared outside your institution, posted publicly, uploaded online or shared with non-licensed individuals

Adapted Materials: Faculty may not share, or disseminate modified or derivative materials without prior written permission from VitalTalk.

Online Courses and Asynchronous Material

VitalTalk online courses and digital learning materials are licensed for individual use only and may not be shared, reproduced, distributed, or used for group teaching without explicit written permission from VitalTalk.

AI Policy

VitalTalk materials may not be used with AI tools or platforms without explicit written permission from VitalTalk. This includes uploading materials into AI systems, training AI models using VitalTalk content, sharing materials with AI vendors and generating AI educational products from VitalTalk Materials.

Tuition, Funding & Sponsorship

Tuition: Faculty and institutions may charge fees only to cover the direct costs of offering a course or educational activity, including simulated patients, space, Faculty or administrative support etc. The tuition may not be used to generate a profit.

Outside funding: sponsorship, or grant support that will utilize VitalTalk materials or training methods requires prior written approval from VitalTalk.

Questions?

If you are unsure whether a planned use is permitted, please contact VitalTalk before proceeding.