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Visiting Students

We welcome visiting medical students from other institutions to apply to electives at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, located in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago along beautiful Lake Michigan. Our location gives students access to our top-rated clinical affiliates — including Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab — as well as to the city of Chicago’s vibrant cultural landscape. Here you’ll have experiences that will help you grow both professionally and personally.

Each year, the Visiting Student Program at Feinberg School of Medicine receives thousands of applications for a limited number of elective rotation spaces. Eligible participants must be full-time, fourth-year medical students in good standing at LCME- or AOA-accredited U.S. medical schools. Third-year students who have completed their core clerkships in medicine, surgery, pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology are also eligible to apply.

Accepted StudentsFAQ International Students Elective Catalogue

 

Apply to Be a Visiting Student

Rotation Calendar

Rotation Calendar

 

Rotation Dates *

VSLO Deadline
(8 weeks before start)

Block 14

May 28† – June 21

April 2

Block 15

June 24 – July 19

April 29

Block 16

July 22 – Aug. 16

May 27

Block 17

Aug. 26 – Sept. 20

July 1

Block 18

Sept. 23 – Oct. 18

July 29

Block 19

Oct. 21 – Nov. 15

Aug. 26

Block 20

Nov. 18** – Dec. 13

Sept. 23

Block 21

Jan. 6, 2025 – Jan. 31, 2025

Nov. 11

Block 22

Feb. 3, 2025 – Feb. 28, 2025

Dec. 9

Block 23

March 3, 2025 – March 28, 2025

Jan. 6, 2025

Block 24

March 31, 2025 – April 25, 2025

Feb. 3, 2025

*  Sub-is and EM extend through the final weekend of the clerkship (end date may be later than indicated).
**  Off Nov. 28 - Dec. 1 for Thanksgiving.
†  Clerkships begin on Tuesdays due to university holidays

Application Requirements

  • Students must be in their final year at an LCME-accredited medical school or AOA-accredited Osteopathic medical school located in the United States or Puerto Rico
    • Selected students from our Global Partner institutions: A current list of institutions can be found below in the Global Partners tab and on the Global Partner Application form.
  • Visitors must have previously completed basic clerkships in internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and surgery. Certain specialty electives may have additional prerequisites.
  • Feinberg requires an executed affiliation agreement with your home institution to allow for participation in the visiting medical student program. Where appropriate, Feinberg uses the AAMC Uniform Clinical Training Agreement.
    • At this time, we have agreements with the vast majority of accredited schools. If your institution is not on this list and you are interested in pursuing a rotation at Feinberg, please have your school’s visiting student coordinator contact our program at visitingstudents@northwestern.edu.
  • VSLO Application Requirements
    • Requirements Completed by Student
    • Photo
    • CV/Resume (please upload document as PDF)
    • USMLE Step 1 score or COMLEX score: Submit a scan your score report.
    • Immunization/Health Form: All students applying through VSLO must use the AAMC Standardized Immunization Form. Upload the completed three page form and supporting labs and documents as a single PDF in the immunization forms section of VSLO.
    • Health Insurance: Submit a scan of the front and back of your insurance card.
    • Visiting Student Policy Acknowledgement
    • BLS or ACLS Certification: Submit a scan of your BLS or ACLS completion card.
    • NPI Number (if you do not have an NPI number, you can apply on the CMS website.)
    • COVID-19/Coronavirus Vaccine: all visiting students to Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine are required to be fully vaccinated and submit documentation at least 28 days prior to rotation start date.
    • Some electives have specific requirements in addition to those mentioned above. For example, many electives also require a personal statement.
  • Requirements Completed by School Official (e.g., Registrar, Clinical Coordinator)
    • Letter of recommendation: This letter must be written by a faculty member who has observed you clinically and must comment on your clinical abilities and performance. Some departments have specific letter of recommendation requirements. Please refer to the elective descriptions for details. Only documents that have a faculty member's signature and are written on official letterhead will be accepted.
    • Current transcript with key
    • Feinberg School of Medicine Assessment Form Agreement: Effective May 1, 2019, all visiting students at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine will be graded using our assessment form.
    • Verification of medical liability and/or malpractice insurance: Students are required to have coverage of $1 million per occurrence/$3 million aggregate. If school does not provide this, student will need to purchase supplemental coverage and submit Certificate of Insurance prior to beginning rotation.

No documentation will be accepted via postal mail, fax, in an email or email attachment. All application documents must be submitted through VSLO only. For more information, please visit the VSLO site or contact VSLO at vsas@aamc.org or 202-478-9878.

Do not contact course directors, coordinators or faculty for any reason during the application process. Contacting any of these parties may result in your ineligibility for current and future rotations.

 

Visiting Student Stipend

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine welcomes visiting students who are active learners who will ask questions not only about patients, science and health policy but also about themselves. This visiting elective stipend program seeks to support any student interested in a visiting clerkship rotation who is financially disadvantaged and interested in community health advancement.

Learn more about available stipends

Contact Us

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 visitingstudents@northwestern.edu. If you have questions about the status of your application, please only contact us via email.

Augusta Webster, MD, Office of Medical Education
303 E. Chicago Ave.
Ward 1-003
Chicago, IL 60611
Fax: 312-503-0715
visitingstudents@northwestern.edu

Do not contact course directors, coordinators or faculty for any reason during the application process. Contacting any of these parties may result in your ineligibility for current and future rotations.