Policy & Procedure for Visiting Medical Students

USF will be using VSAS, the Visiting Student Application Service, to receive visiting student applications for the 2009-2010 academic year. Applications may be submitted through VSAS starting on May 1, 2009. To apply to our school, please complete and send us a VSAS application for your preferred electives and dates. For more information on VSAS, please visit www.aamc.org/vsas or contact VSAS at vsas@aamc.org or (202) 478-9878.

While students applying through VSAS will not complete the application form (Appendix A), they MUST complete the immunization form (Appendix B) found below.

VSAS can only be used by medical students from U.S. LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education) accredited schools. If you are an osteopathic or international applicant, you must complete the application materials listed below.

USF only accepts international applicants from schools with which we have a prior agreement. Your school will know if there is a prior agreement in existence.

For more information on our visiting student electives, please contact the Registrar's Office at mcook@health.usf.edu or jdryden@health.usf.edu.

Required Documents for non-LCME Students

• USF Visiting Student Application
  (refer to Appendix A)
• USF Certification of Communicable Disease Prevention Form
  (refer to Appendix B)

Is my school accredited by the LCME or AOA?

To find out if your school is accredited by the LCME or AOA visit their websites and browse by state or province.

• Liaison Committee on Medical Education
• American Osteopathic Association

Application packages will not be processed until all required information has been received by the USF COM Registrar's Office. completed application packages must be received at least 30 days before the desired elective period begins.

International Student Form

(Download DS-2019 Form)

As a reminder: the Office of the Registrar will not process international applications from students attending schools with which the USF COM does not have a prior agreement. Your institution will know whether it has a prior agreement with USF.

1. Students must be in their 4th year, in good academic standing, and have completed all required basic clinical clerkships before enrolling. Visiting students may only apply for elective courses.
2. The maximum number of weeks a student may take electives at the USF COM is (16). Assignments of visiting students are made after the schedules of USF COM students have been completed.
3. Visiting students may receive academic credit from their own medical schools for elective course work completed at the USF COM. Transcripts of elective coursework will not be issued. The USF COM does not assess tuition or fees for visiting students.
4. Evaluations of performance will be sent on request to the Dean of Students at the visiting student's home school. If required the form should be included in the Application Package
5. In order to take elective courses at the USF COM, the student must submit a completed USF Visiting Student Application Package at least 1 month prior to the start of the elective. This package consists of:
   • the Visiting Student Application Form (Appendix A)
   • USF communicable Disease Prevention Certification Form (Appendix B)
   • All other required documentation (Lab report copies, etc.)
6. The USF COM does not provide student health, liability, or malpractice insurance for visiting students. Visiting students must provide their own health insurance and be responsible for their health care. Malpractice insurance is required and it is the responsibility of the visiting student to obtain a policy if not covered by the home school.
7. Visiting medical students are required to obtain a USF student ID at the cost of ten dollars for the duration of their elective rotation(s). The requirement may vary by department; therefore, students are encouraged to contact the department for further information.
8. The USF COM does not accept students for a year's clinical clerkship training that is required by their home school. Neither do we offer a year's supervised training in clinical clerkships similar to a Fifth Pathway Program. ONLY USF COM approved students will be allowed "hands-on" patient interaction. AT NO TIME will a student visiting USF COM in an "observer" status be allowed to participate in "hands-on" medical procedures with patients.
9. Available elective positions are assigned on a first come first-served basis. Application packages will not be acted upon until all required information has been received. If the applicant has requested electives in more than one USF COM Department, an application form must be filled out for each separate department.
10. Once the Application Package is deemed complete by the Registrar's Office, the application form will be forwarded to the appropriate USF COM Departmental Chair/Elective Coordinator to determine course availability. The Department will then inform the student of approval/denial and, if approved, will become the primary contact/sponsor for the student for the remainder of their experience at USF to include issuance of grade/evaluation. In addition, the USF Department must provide copies of their approval/denial correspondence and grade/evaluation to the USF COM Registrar.
11. Upon arrival at USF visiting students must present a government issued photo ID to the electives coordinator.
12. Exceptions to these procedures must be submitted to the Executive Council for action.