Academics

Visiting Students

Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed all of their core clerkships and who are from schools fully-accredited* by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) or the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) may participate in visiting student electives offered at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Visiting students may participate in fourth-year electives only.

Most rotations are four weeks long and begin either the first day of the month (unless this day falls on a weekend) or on the first working Monday of the month. All Department of Medicine rotations start on the first day of the month (unless it is a weekend day) except for 2-week rotations that may begin mid-month on date specified in the course catalog.

*Rotation dates are non-negotiable and cannot be altered. They have been meticulously arranged and coordinated to align precisely with our program's requirements and available resources.

*Schools must be fully accredited. Students from schools with pre-accreditation, preliminarily accreditation, and provisional accreditation statuses are NOT eligible to rotate at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

2024-25 Catalog is Available

If you have a question, please reference the Frequently Asked Questions Page before contacting our office. The best way to reach us is via email at visiting.pritzker@bsd.uchicago.edu. 

Please note: We will not be accepting visiting students or observers in April of 2025 due to a scheduling overlap of clerkship students in both our legacy and new curricula. (This is a one-time occurrence - we appreciate your understanding.)

To be eligible to participate in Pritzker School of Medicine Visiting Student Electives, students must:

  1. Be in their 4th year of medical school.
  2. Have Malpractice Insurance of $1M per instance and $3M aggregate. There is NO exception to this.
  3. Be english language proficient and able to give oral clinical presentations.
  4. Have successfully completed all prerequisites listed on the application for the desired third year rotations (as per your medical school's requirements) prior to participating in the elective. While we realize that medical school clerkship requirements vary widely from school to school, we use our clerkship requirements as a guideline for consideration of visiting student applicants. 

Medicine - 8 weeks
Surgery - 8 weeks
Pediatrics - 4 weeks
OB-GYN - 4 weeks
Psychiatry - 4 weeks
 

At this time, Pritzker School of Medicine can only accept domestic visiting student applications through the AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities application service.

Students are required to apply for their desired rotation six weeks in advance. Applications will be processed on a rolling basis. Please note that we do not schedule visiting students during the months of May & June during any academic year.

Please do not call to check availability. Rotations will be given on a first-come, first-served basis to students who submit a fully completed application including immunization records. Calling to check availability will not guarantee a spot in a desired rotation. Applicants will be notified via email if their application is accepted.

Should you need to contact us for any other reason, you may email visiting.pritzker@bsd.uchicago.edu.

Immunizations and Labs Required

All visiting students must provide proof of immunity to Measles (Rubeola), Mumps, German Measles (Rubella), and Hepatitis B, Varicella, and Tetanus/Diphtheria. Blood titers are required for Measles, Mumps, German Measles, Hep B, and Varicella. All students must also have a PPD or QuantiFERON within a year of the date of their rotation. All visiting students must have had a flu vaccine and screening for exposure to tuberculosis.

Immunization titers as well as a AAMC Standardized Immunization Form must be completed and uploaded to VSLO. Any immunizations needed upon arrival will be at the visiting student's expense. If you have had mask-fit testing, you may get it confirmed with VSLO.  If you have a confirmation of mask fit, it can be loaded with your immunization records on VSLO.  Providing the certificate ahead of time saves you some steps during orientation.  Please note that your application will not be considered for scheduling until it is complete with all required documents including your immunizations.

UCMC immunization guidelines now require visiting students to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and COVID-19 booster (if 6 months has lapsed since initial vaccination.)

Students from LCME-Accredited U.S. Schools

To apply to our institution, please complete a VSLO application for your preferred electives and dates. For more information on VSLO, please visit the AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities application system or contact VSLO at (202) 478-9878.

International Students

At this time, the Pritzker School of Medicine is accepting international visiting student applications from US-affiliated medical schools located in other countries. For more information, please see reach out to the Center for Global Health.

 

Academic Credit

  1. Visiting students may not receive both compensation and elective credit for the same clinical elective experience.
  2. The visiting student's stay at the University will in no way constitute matriculation at the University of Chicago.
  3. The visiting student must arrange to receive academic credit from the parent institution for work completed at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

Malpractice Insurance

  1. Visiting students must have Malpractice Insurance of $1M insurance and $3M aggregate. There are NO exception to this requirement.

Fees

Visiting students can remain eight weeks without charge. 

English Language Proficiency

Visiting students must be proficient in English and able to conduct oral examinations. Students accepted for clerkships who are not proficient in English will be asked to leave the clerkship at the end of the first week and return to their home school. A confirmation of this dismissal will be sent to the home institution.

Withdrawal

Once accepted for an elective, the visiting student is expected to honor that commitment. Notification of withdrawal must be made in writing by letter or email to the Visiting Student Coordinator no later than four weeks prior to the start of the clerkship.

Arrival & Check-Out

  1. On the first day of the elective, visiting students will report for a short check-in provided by PSOM. Two weeks before your arrival, you will receive an email with the exact time and location of the check-in. During this check-in, students receive their hospital IDs.
  2. Visiting Students must pay a University of Chicago student wellness service fee for outpatient care. This $26 fee can be paid by credit/debit card transactions via the payment portal. The link will be provided 3 weeks before the start of the rotation.
  3. After completing the elective, visiting students must return their temporary hospital ID to the ID Station or the visiting student coordinator.

White Coats

Visiting Students will be expected to supply their own white coats if required for their clerkship rotation.

Housing

Housing is not provided for visiting students. Below are some housing resources in the medical center area. While we do not sponsor or endorse any of these sites except for our own properties, we have gathered the resources below based on feedback from other students.  Please use caution, especially with your confidential information, when planning your short term housing. We can provide the following suggestions:

Parking

Free parking is available at the following locations: 60th and Drexel, 55th and Ellis, and 57th and Cottage Grove. Additionally, you may park on the Midway Plaisance, 55th Avenue, and certain nearby side streets, but adhere to posted parking regulations, as they are strictly enforced. Please note that short-term parking in medical center lots is generally limited and becomes more accessible once on campus. The University of Chicago is not responsible for any parking citations you may receive during your visit.

Parking is available in the medical center parking garage, with rates currently set at $28.00 for 6-24 hours, including valet options. For further details, contact the Parking Office at (773) 702-4381 or (773) 702-8969. More comprehensive transportation and parking information can be found here.

Visiting students are not eligible for parking passes or discounts.  Arriving early may improve your chances of finding side street parking. Alternatively, visiting students are encouraged to use the shuttle service from the free Apostolic parking lot to the campus.

Additional Transportation: Information on other transportation options, including university shuttles, bike racks, and CTA trains/buses, is available here.

 

We appreciate your cooperation and encourage you to review all available parking options for your visit.

Needlestick Procedures

If you are exposed to blood or other infectious material,

  1. Clean and decontaminate
  2. Page the Needlestick hotline (188-9990) immediately
  3. Inform your supervisor
  4. Follow the instructions of the UC Occupational Medicine Clinician (CLI L156)

If there are expenses related to treatment of a needlestick injury, the visiting student's health insurance will be billed and the visiting student should work directly with their home school's Dean of Students' Office.

Catalog link for visiting student electives

For more information on this program, visit this page.