Visiting Medical Students

Thank you for your interest in pursuing fourth year electives at UT Southwestern Medical School. Please follow the detailed instructions below to maximize your opportunity to be accepted for a visiting student elective and to minimize your processing upon arrival to start an elective.

*** VISITING STUDENTS MAY ONLY COMPLETE TWO ROTATIONS AT UT SOUTHWESTERN ***

Requirements
Additional Requirements for All Applicants
Additional Requirements by Department
Affiliation Agreement
Electives
Instructions for Students from International and Non-LCME-Accredited Schools

Requirements

If you are from a LCME or NON-LCME Accredited Medical School, you must submit your application and ALL the following documents through the AAMC Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) before we will review your application. If you or your institution has questions about VSAS authorizations or access to their system, then please contact AAMC-VSAS at vsas@aamc.org.

  • Application - VSAS 
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Essential Functions Form - Visiting Students must attest to their ability to perform the essential functions before starting a rotation. If applying through VSAS, form can be uploaded as a supplemental document.
  • Immunization Record
  • Official Medical School Transcript
  • Photo
  • See Additional Department Requirements Below.

If you are from an International Medical School, the following documents must ALL be submitted as a complete packet to the Department Visiting Student Coordinator of the elective before they will review your application.

  • Application - All applications must be typed. Handwritten applications will not be accepted. 
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Essential Functions Form - Visiting Students must attest to their ability to perform the essential functions before starting a rotation. If applying through VSAS, form can be uploaded as a supplemental document.
  • Immunization Record
  • Official Medical School Transcript
  • Photo
  • See Additional Department Requirements Below.
  • See Special Instructions Below.

NOTE: For a list of departments that accept Non-LCME Accredited Medical Schools and International Medical Schools, see Special Instructions section below.

Additional requirements for ALL visiting students

MUST be completed/verified before you will be allowed to start a rotation at our institution.

    • Good Standing - must be verified by your home institution.
    • Standard Precautions Training (recommended by CDC) - must be completed within 12 months of the requested elective start date. If this cannot be completed at your home institution, then you may complete our online training and provide us with a signed "Attestation of Completion."
    • BLS and/or ACLS Certification - must be completed within 12 months of the requested elective start date.
    • Mask Fit Test - Must be trained in proper mask fitting.
    • Professional Liability/Malpractice Insurance Coverage - must be no less than the amounts provided by the University of Texas System for its own students.
      Our coverage is currently:
      • $25,000 per claim
      • $75,000 per aggregate
      • $75,000 per participant
    • Immunizations - must be current and cover the period of the clinical assignment.
    • Health Insurance Coverage - must be covered by a health insurance plan for the period of the clinical assignment.
    • TB Skin Test - must be completed within the last 12 months and cover the period of the clinical assignment.
    • Background Check- must be completed within 12 months of the requested elective start date. This search must include a search of US Department of Health and Human Services office of Inspector General List of Excluded Individuals/Entities.
      • If this was NOT part of the search criteria or you have not completed a background check, the Background Check must be completed by GroupOne Services. From the drop-down menu when choosing your discipline in the GroupOne application, select "VISITING MEDICAL STUDENT".
    • UT Southwestern HIPAA Training - must be completed through the online UT Southwestern HIPAA Training program. 
      • The HIPAA requirement must be met before you are allowed to rotate at UT Southwestern. It is not a part of the visiting student application process. Once a visiting student accepts an offer and is set up in our student system, he/she will receive an email with login instructions for completing HIPAA.
      • Upon successful completion of the online course, you will be able to print out a certificate of completion.
      • Note: This certificate should be printed and provided to the department as proof that this training was completed. You will not be allowed to start your rotation without proof of this training.

If you have any questions about the online HIPAA training, please contact the HIPAA Office at 214-648-6003.

Additional department requirements for visiting students applying to specific departments

The following documents are required in addition to the documents indicated above. These should be included in your packet of documents submitted to the Department of Visiting Student Coordinator for the elective.

      • DERMATOLOGY - DERM 0301 & 0304
        • USMLE Step 1 Score
      • INTERNAL MEDICINE - IMED
        • 1 Letter of Recommendation
        • USMLE Step 1 Score
      • OBSTETRICS and GYNECOLOGY - OBG 0808-0816
        • 1 Letter of Recommendation
        • USMLE Step 1 Score
        • Curriculum Vitae
      • PEDIATRICS - PEDS 1201-1224
      • RADIOLOGY - Diagnostic - RAD 1501
        • Letter of Interest that includes: medical school name, address, Registrar's Office phone and fax number.
      • SURGERY - Clinical Neurosurgery - SUR 1601
        • Letter of Interest
      • SURGERY - Thoracic/Cardiology - SUR 1604
        • 1 Letter of Recommendation that includes: name, title, and institution of a physician faculty member who has supervised you in a medical or surgical rotation.
      • SURGERY - Plastic - SUR 1605
        • 1 Letter of Recommendation
      • SURGERY - General - SUR 1609, 1612-1615, 1622-1625, 1627-1929
        • Dean's Letter
      • SURGERY - Emergency Medicine - SUR 1616
        • Personal Statement regarding Emergency Medicine
        • USMLE Step 1 Score
        • Class Ranking
        • NOTE: Visiting Student electives must be same block periods as UTSW academic calendar.

Affiliation Agreement Requirements

We do not require an affiliation agreement to rotate at UT Southwestern. If your institution requires an affiliation agreement before they will allow you to rotate at UT Southwestern, please provide us with the following:

      1. Intake Form - to be completed by the visiting student coordinator at your institution - this includes: contact information, name, phone, email address, etc.
      2. A copy of your Institution's Affiliation Agreement.
      3. Once you are approved for a rotation, please forward these Affiliation Agreement documents to stuinfo@utsouthwestern.edu.
        Do not send the other documents to this box.

NOTE: Ultimately, it is the student's responsibility to follow up with the department visiting student coordinator for the rotation to make sure ALL their required paperwork is received and completed. Visiting students cannot start a rotation until all the requirements are met.

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Electives

***VISITING STUDENTS MAY NOT COMPLETE MORE THAN 2 FOUR-WEEK ELECTIVES AT UT SOUTHWESTERN!***

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Special Instructions

For Non-LCME-Accredited And International Medical Schools

Please note that ONLY the following departments accept students from International Medical Schools:

      • Anesthesiology
      • Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery
      • Cell Biology
      • Clinical Sciences - Biostatics
      • Clinical Sciences - Ethics
      • Otolaryngology (December through March only.)
      • Pediatrics

Please note that ONLY the following departments accept students from Non-LCME Accredited Medical Schools:

      • Anesthesiology
      • Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery
      • Cell Biology
      • Clinical Sciences - Biostatics
      • Clinical Sciences - Ethics
      • Dermatology
      • Emergency Medicine
      • Neurology
      • Obstetrics and Gynecology
      • Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
      • Pediatrics
      • Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
      • Psychiatry
      • Radiation Oncology

ALL International Students residing outside the U.S.:

      • Must pay $150 (US Dollars, "USD") International Visiting Student NON-REFUNDABLE Application Fee - this must be submitted with the complete application packet via check or money order. (Make check or money order payable to UT Southwestern Medical Center) Your application will not be processed without this fee. The department will forward this fee to the International Office for processing.
        NOTE: This processing fee is in addition to the $25 (US Dollars, "USD") per rotation elective fee.
      • Must enter on an F-1 visa sponsored by UT Southwestern. Within weeks of your acceptance by a UT Southwestern clinical department, you will be contacted by the International Office to begin visa arrangements.
      • May ONLY complete TWO rotations at UT Southwestern.

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We hope this page helps with the entire process. To learn more about the visiting student experience at UT Southwestern, contact the Department of Visiting Student Coordinator for the rotation you are interested in completing.

Thank you!

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