Visiting Students

For the academic year 2024-2025, all visiting rotations are coordinated through the AAMC’s Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO).  VSLO charges a fee for this service.  RWJMS will open and start to accept visiting applications as of February 2024. All applications will be reviewed and responded to ~35 days before the start date being requested. Our 2024-2025 Academic Year starts June 10, 2024. 

RWJMS clinical calendar for the 2024-2025 Academic Year begins June 10, 2024. 

Please be aware that the following departments may not be accepting visiting students this academic year: Family Medicine and OBGYN. This includes all core rotations and electives within these departments. There are also a few rotations within other departments which have been closed as well. We will continue to update the VSLO catalog based on information received from the departments. Please continue to review VSLO for any electives that might have been closed since then due to limitations to our clinical capacity.

Please note that the Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine and Dentistry does not provide travel, housing, or living expenses for visiting students. You are responsible for finding your own housing for the duration of your visiting experience.

To apply, please complete the VSLO application process for your preferred electives & dates. For more information on our visiting student electives, please contact:

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Office of the Registrar
675 Hoes Lane, Room TC-111
Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-5635
Email:  RegistrarVSAS@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Eligibility:

• All visiting students must be enrolled at a U.S. LCME-accredited medical school or a  participating COCA accredited AACOM member college.
• Must be a 4th year student with an anticipated graduation of Spring 2025.

This program is NOT available to medical students who:

• Are pre-clinical and 3^rd year medical students

• Attend or have graduated from non-U.S. medical schools
• Attend medical schools that are not LCME accredited by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) or COCA accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
• Are foreign medical students on an F-1 Visa who attend U.S. medical schools

 Eligibility Requirements:

• Application
• Photograph
• CV
• Transcript
• Essential Functions Form
• AAMC Standardized Immunization Form and applicable supporting documentation
• Copy of a Background Check having been completed within one (1) year of the anticipated start date of the elective.
• Home Institution Verification
• Confirmation student passed USMLE Step 1 or COMLEX-USA Level 1
• Confirmation of good Academic Standing
• Confirmation of OSHA, mask fit test, and HIPAA
• Must be in final year of medical studies in order to participate in clinical elective program
• Fourth-year Student Acknowledgement
• Copy of Current/Valid BLS
• Proof of COVID vaccination
• Medical liability/malpractice insurance

ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE UPLOADED THROUGH VSLO AS WE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING ANYFORMS VIA MAIL OR FAX.

Key items to consider when applying to Rutgers RWJMS: 

• We only review visiting students’ applications 30-35 days before the start date of the application. For example, even if you apply in April for an August rotation, we are unable to review your application until July. 
• Priority is given to RWJMS students, which makes it difficult for us to provide capacity until 30 days before the start date.  
• All approvals are subject to capacity and availability at the time of acceptance, 30 days prior to the start date. 
• All your applications must be complete when submitted. Please make sure to review all requirements below, and please make sure you submit a criminal background check within 12 months of the start date. 
• If you are a student applying for the EMED sub internship, please be aware that students will need to complete a supplemental application which can be found in VSLO.

Additional information:

• Our background check is done through CastleBranch. Click on the link and you will be directed to their website. Once on the site, click on Place Order  and enter RU35as the package code.
• You may use other companies, but it mustinclude the following checks:
  • Nationwide Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Scan
  • Nationwide Record Indicator with SOI
  • Social Security Alert
  • Residency History
• Please notify RWJMS that you are requesting a Background Check through our services by completing the Criminal Background Check Notification Formand sending it with your application.

NOTE: Once an elective is offered and accepted, there is a non-refundable $75.00 processing fee due for each elective you have accepted. Please make the check payable to "Rutgers RWJMS" and send it to the address listed for the Contact Person.  If payment is not received within 2 weeks from the date of acceptance, you could potentially be withdrawn from the elective.

Acceptance into an elective is based upon receipt of the properly completed application forms. If you wish to apply for more than one elective, please use one application form per elective. You do not need to fill out duplicates of the other forms. Use RWJMS course numbers to identify the electives you choose.

The elective catalog is available here. You must follow our elective block rotation dates. In addition, no visiting student may accumulate more than 16 weeks of electives.
 
*Two-week blocks may be available within these four-week blocks below:

2024 – 2025 Elective Blocks

Attention: Foreign Medical School Students

VSLO is not currently available for international students or students enrolled at Canadian medical schools to use. Although we do not accept International Students for our established clerkships & electives, our Office of Global Health offers an "International Global Health Experience" program to our MOU partners. These are typically a 4-week, Observership, supervised by Global Health Faculty. For additional information, we refer you to our Global Health Office where they can inform you about our current opportunities.

Please contact the office of Global Health at globalhealth@rwjms.rutgers.edu. The requests can be addressed to Dr. Angela Gitau.