Visiting Students Electives Policy

  

Accreditation Standards

LCME Accreditation Standard:

10.8 Visiting Students

Stakeholders

Visiting Students, VP&S Faculty

Applicant Eligibility: 

Visiting students are eligible for electives at CUIMC if they meet all the following criteria: 

  1. Currently enrolled in their final year of medical school at one of the following: 
    1. International Exchange Affiliation*with VP&S (must be pre-approved by home school) 
    2. LCME-accredited allopathic medical school in the US/Canada 
    3. COCA-accredited Osteopathic medical school 
  2. Completed at least 4-6 core clerkships. This must include Internal Medicine, Surgery, and 2 other specialties (including the elective specialty in which they are applying, where available). 
  3. Passed USMLE Step 1 examination prior to the start of elective at CUIMC. 
  4. Meet CUIMC pre-admission health requirements 

*Students enrolled in schools that are part of our International Exchange Affiliation program must have approval from their home school. Those applications are processed through VSLO or OASIS. You can find the application here. 

Additional eligibility requirements for specific electives are noted in the OASIS course catalog. 

 

Application Procedures

Eligible visiting students from LCME-accredited and Osteopathic schools must use VSLO to submit their applications. 

  • The VSLO application specifies required documents for visiting students. These include official school transcript, CV/resume, current OSHA/Infection control certification, and proof of liability insurance 
  • To prevent delays in the onboarding process, please be prepared to submit the required information from the Student Health office once accepted. 
  • Every effort will be made for decision notifications to be made 6-8 weeks prior to the start of the desired elective month(s). 

Note that some electives have their own application and decision timelines, including: DR02P, NS01P, OP04P, OR01P, RH01P, UR01P, and UR91P 

 Application and Decision Timelines will be posted on VP&S visiting student program web page. 

  • VP&S students will have priority over visiting students for scheduling elective rotations. Electives opportunities will be made available to visiting students after completion of the D&I electives lottery for VP&S students.   

Approval Process: 

  • Students from U.S. LCME accredited medical schools or participating COCA (Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation) accredited AACOM (American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine) member colleges listed in VSLO:  
    • After verification by the Curricular Affairs office that the student’s application is complete and the student meets eligibility criteria, the faculty director of each elective requested by the student must approve the student’s application before the student can be scheduled by Curricular Affairs.  
  • Students from International Exchange Partnership Schools: 
    • Students must first receive confirmation from their home institutions and undergo a verification process with the Office of Medical Education. Once verified, approved students must complete an application through VSLO or OASIS. Placement will be assigned to the first available course ranked in their preference list. Additionally, if requested and available, students will be placed on consecutive monthly courses. 

During Visiting Elective

  • All visiting students are expected to adhere to and abide by all clinical policies regarding VP&S medical students.  
  • Visiting students who are scheduled for electives will receive a university ID (UNI) and access to the Visiting Student Orientation Courseworks site. The orientation information includes: • Arrangement for necessary identification and key access (Columbia UNI) • Student Health on Haven student portal to upload documentation for health clearance • Training in the electronic medical record system. • CUIMC HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability) training • Provision of beeper if applicable • Orientation to library services • Orientation to the University campus • Procedures for reporting alleged incidents of mistreatment • Procedures to follow in the event of an occupational exposure (ex: needlestick or exposure to air-borne pathogens).  

Evaluations

Visiting students will be evaluated using VP&S’s evaluation system on OASIS. If the student’s home school requires the completion of additional evaluation forms, the student will be responsible for providing the form and for requesting completion by the Elective Director.  

Oversight

The Office of Curricular Affairs maintains a complete roster of visiting medical students, approves each visiting student’s assignment, works with course directors to track student performance assessments, and oversees processes related to visiting students.  

On an annual basis, VP&S electives liaisons from each clinical department, with the Electives committee of CEPC (Committee for Educational Policy and Curriculum), will review student evaluations as well as the adequacy of clinical resources and appropriate supervision in the electives for both visiting students and VP&S students.  

Policy History/Approval Date

The policy on visiting students was taken from print-version student handbooks and online formats.  These documents were reformatted and codified into policy where specific procedures and edits were added.  The policy was reviewed and approved by the Committee on Educational Policy and Curriculum on May 17, 2024.