Clinical Transportation Policy

Students may be assigned to a clinic or hospital site outside of the Chicago campus during their clerkship curriculum ECMH or individual preceptorship. When you are required to travel off campus during these experiences, students are expected to utilize university shuttles, mass public transportation or your own vehicle. 

In cases where transportation to a clerkship, ECMH or IP site is not easily accessible by public transportation or the arrival/departure to or from the site is time sensitive, the clerkship, ECMH or IP coordinator will work with you to identify the best method(s) of transportation. In these cases, students may qualify for a partial or full reimbursement for travel to the site. In specific situations, you may be reimbursed for travel via Metra, personal car, taxi, Lyft or Uber. When traveling, students are expected to travel together.

The maximum reimbursement is $32 for each one-way trip. Exceptions may apply when multiple students travel together. Metra onboard fees are not reimbursed. 

Requirements

Reimbursements may be issued if a student is required to:

• Begin work assignment before 6 a.m.
• Work later than 9:30 p.m. or, for those at the Jesse Brown VA, after the last shuttle
• Travel to an outpatient facility that is not readily accessible by public transportation

This policy is subject to change without notice.

To Apply

Complete the following steps and submit materials to the appropriate clerkship, ECMH or IP coordinator within 30 calendar days of your first date of travel for which you are requesting reimbursement. Students with longer experiences may need to submit multiple reimbursement requests.

Coordinators

ICU	Angela Gipson	agipson@nm.org
Medicine	Bridget Murdoch	bridget.murdoch@northwestern.edu
PM&R	Keeley Barr	kbarr02@sralab.org
Surgery	Jason Burke	jason.burke@nm.org
Emergency Medicine	Mercedes DiVittorio	mercedes.munoz@northwestern.edu
Ob/Gyn	Jamillah Collins	jamillah.collins@northwestern.edu
ECMH	Molly McCahill	Molly.McCahill@northwestern.edu
Psychiatry	Felicia Wince	felicia.wince@northwestern.edu
Neurology	Evelyn Jones	evelyn.jones@northwestern.edu
Peds	Quiana Smothers	qsmothers@luriechildrens.org

Section 1:  Complete a Visitor’s Expense Report Form

To obtain a Visitor’s Expense Report, download the form.

A unique barcode and number should appear in the "Request #" field on the form. If it does not, you may need to move to a desktop computer and save the PDF to your computer prior to printing. The request number serves as the invoice number for your reimbursement, which is why every Visitor’s Expense Report must have a unique identifying number.

Complete the following fields on the Visitor’s Expense Report form:

Visitor Information

• Visitor’s Name (legal name)
• Address (include apartment or unit number)
• City, State, Zip
• Phone Number
• Date(s) of travel, from (first date) and to (last date)

Business Purpose

The description field should include

• Name of the site
• Location (city)
• Whether the travel was for a clerkship, ECMH or IP assignment
• Student ID number
• Email address
• Other students with whom you traveled

If your request for reimbursement is for ECMH, be sure to include the EC.

Explanation of Expense

• Rail (if using Metra)
• Ground Transportation (if using taxi, Lyft, Uber)
• Automobile (personal car: total miles/tolls; motor pool rental car: gas/tolls)

Certification

Sign and date the Visitor’s Expense Report. A digital signature is acceptable (a typed name is not).

If you receive a payroll check from Northwestern University, please let the coordinator know so they can determine if a different type of reimbursement form needs to be completed.

Section 2:  Supporting Documentation to Be Submitted

Visitor’s Expense Report Form

This should have a unique request number, as noted in Section 1.

Use of University Motor Pool Rental Car

Gas and toll receipts may be submitted for reimbursement. Parking is not reimbursed. The cost of missed tolls, violations and associated fees will be the responsibility of the driver.

Receipts

Receipts must be legible receipts and are to be taped down on all four sides in date order on blank sheet(s) of paper. Multiple receipts per page is encouraged; single-sided only and no staples.

Uber/Lyft receipts should be emailed to the student and then included in the student’s request for reimbursement. The student’s name or email address must be reflected on the receipt.

The required documents should be scanned in as a single PDF in order (Visitor's Expense Report, then receipts) and emailed to the appropriate coordinator.

Section 3:  Review and Processing of Request

Requests for reimbursement will be reviewed for accuracy and completeness by the coordinator and in the order that they are received.

If forms are NOT accurate and/or complete, the coordinator will reach out to the student regarding necessary edits/corrections.

When documentation is accurate and complete, the coordinator will forward the request to the Office of Medical Education for additional review and processing. If additional information is needed, a member of the Office of Medical Education will reach out to you.

If you have questions regarding the reimbursement process, please contact the appropriate clerkship coordinator.  If you have questions regarding the status of a travel reimbursement, please email the Office of Medical Education at omereimburse@northwestern.edu.