Prospective Visiting MD/DO Students: The June 2023-May 2024 elective catalog will be VIEWABLE in VSLO (https://vslo.aamc.org/) starting March 6, 2023. You may begin to APPLY on March 13, 2023 at 9AM.
*Please note our email changed in Spring 2022: If your question is not answered by this website and our growing Weill Cornell visiting student FAQ, you may contact our office via registrar @ med.cornell.edu. Due to a high volume of inquiries, we do not take questions over the phone, but will respond to email inquiries within 3-4 business days.
General Information
Weill Cornell Medical College uses the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) service to receive and process visiting student applications from US-based MD and DO schools. To apply, please go to https://vslo.aamc.org/ and search for Weill Cornell Medicine. Visiting students should not contact departments or course directors regarding the application process.
If your question is not answered by this website and our growing Weill Cornell visiting student FAQ, you may contact our office via registrar @ med.cornell.edu.
The following affiliates have their own visiting student applications and processes:
- Hospital for Special Surgery;
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center;
- Methodist Hospital Texas Medical Center (Houston, TX).
Visiting Student Eligibility
To be eligible, domestic visiting students must meet the following criteria:
- Be currently enrolled and in good standing at an accredited MD or DO degree-granting institution in the United States;
- Complete all clerkships required by the home school, and be in the final phase of the curriculum by the time they enroll in the elective;
- Be covered by malpractice or liability insurance during the term of the elective (minimum $1 million per occurence and $3 million aggregate); and,
- Have personal health insurance coverage.
Students from International Schools
Students enrolled at an international medical school, except Canada, should seek additional information from the Office of International Medical Student Education and the WCM Center for Global Health. Please contact IMSE directly if you have any questions:
Dianne Young, MPH
International Electives Coordinator
globalhealthelectives@med.cornell.edu
Students enrolled in an LCME-Accredited Canadian medical school can see more information here: https://medicaleducation.weill.cornell.edu/student-resources/visiting-students/canadian-students. Students in Puerto Rico can apply through VSLO.
Availability of Electives
Elective placements will be made according to the needs and interests of individual departments, and on a space-available basis. Due to the rotating nature of electives, we will be unable to respond to inquiries regarding availability. Also, we will be unable to reserve a position pending the receipt of an application. Only completed applications will be considered, and students are advised to provide alternate courses and/or dates.
Students will be notified of acceptance as soon as possible, and we attempt to inform students at least 45 days before the course begins (generally it will be much earlier than this). Acceptance notifications are delivered via email from VSLO. Please note that Weill Cornell Medicine policies explicitly prohibit students from contacting sponsors or departments directly until they have received their conditional acceptance offer.
Weill Cornell's Office of the Registrar does not coordinate independent rotations outside of VSLO, and the dates of electives cannot be modified. Block dates are available to view in VSLO.
Student Health Requirements
Students must demonstrate immunity to measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and hepatitis B. Immunity to measles, mumps and rubella may be demonstrated by serology or documentation of receiving 2 doses of MMR vaccine after age 1. Varicella vaccine immunity may be demonstrated by serology or documentation of receiving 2 doses of varicella vaccine after age 1. Hepatitis B immunity is demonstrated by documentation of a 2- or 3-dose vaccine series and a post vaccination titer/blood test.
Students must also provide documentation of a tetanus (Td) or Tetanus/pertussis (Tdap) booster administered in the last 10 years.
Testing for tuberculosis with an interferon gamma release assay within the 12 months prior to elective start is required. Vaccination against the flu and COVID are required. Students are required to provide documentation of a physical exam performed in the 12 months prior to an elective, and be free of communicable illness.
Titer/Serology Reports
Titer reports are recommended to demonstrate MMR and Varicella immunity and are required to demonstrate hepatitis B immunity. These must be filed along with an application and, if they demonstrate immunity, there is no requirement regarding the date they are drawn; however, if the titers drawn for the purposes of this elective are found to be non-immune, the student must provide documentation of the appropriate boosters prior to arrival at Weill Cornell. If the student has a negative or borderline hepatitis B titer, or if the student attends a university that permits them to decline hepatitis B vaccination (and the student chooses not to be (re)immunized against hepatitis B), the student must provide Hepatitis B surface antigen documentation, and may sign a declination. Students will be notified if they require any additional testing prior to an elective.
Tuberculosis Testing
Students must provide a lab report of an interferon gamma release assay performed in the 12 months preceding the elective. We do not accept skin testing results. Students who have a history of a positive assay or prior history of tuberculosis do not need to repeat an assay but must provide the date of their positive test, a copy of their chest x-ray report, and documentation of counseling and/or treatment for latent tuberculosis infection. Please note that prior history of BCG vaccination is not a contraindication to testing. Failure to provide this information will result in the cancellation of the elective.
Influenza Vaccination (September – May)
All visiting medical students must provide documentation of influenza vaccination for the current season. At a minimum, the documentation must include the date administered, name, address and signature of the immunizer, and the formulation used. Students not able to provide this documentation, or who have a medical reason they cannot receive the vaccine, will be required to wear a mask at all times around patients if the New York State Health Commissioner declares an influenza emergency, and must do so until the commissioner declares it is safe for “masks off”. Students who are not immunized against the flu, and who do not adhere to the masking requirement, may be prohibited from patient contact.
COVID Vaccination
Completed vaccination against COVID-19 with a vaccine approved or authorized by the U.S. FDA or under emergency use authorization by the World Health Organization is required. Booster doses of vaccine are required. Medical exemptions may be accommodated.
Health Insurance
All students must provide proof of health insurance. (Please note, visiting students are not eligible for services provided through Weill Cornell Student Health Services.) In the event of illness, or the need for consultation regarding health care, visiting students must seek the services of a physician. In the event of an emergency, visiting students are advised to proceed immediately to the nearest emergency room. Any questions related to coverage (including cost) should be addressed by a student directly with their insurance provider.
Correspondence
All correspondence with Weill Cornell regarding status of an elective request will be communicated via email: registrar @ med.cornell.edu.
Housing
Visiting students can inquire with the Weill Cornell Housing Office directly about on- and off-campus housing options at (212) 746-1001 or housing @ med.cornell.edu. They have more information on their website at http://www.med.cornell.edu/housing.
Evaluation
Weill Cornell Medical College uses OASIS for all evaluations. Visiting students and their schools may request a copy by emailing registrar @ med.cornell.edu. WCM faculty are not obligated to complete non-WCM forms or convert P/F grading. All electives are graded Pass/Fail.
Course Catalog
Visiting students will be considered for only the electives offered in the OASIS catalog: https://cornell.oasisscheduling.com/public/catalog/select_student_level.html. Core clinical clerkships are not available for visiting students. All elective assignments are final. Dates must align with Weill Cornell Medical College's academic calendar as indicated in VSLO. No modification to dates is accepted.