Visiting Students
Fourth-year students from U.S. LCME-accredited medical schools or participating COCA-accredited AACOM member schools are welcome to complete surgery rotations at OHSU. Please use the Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) to apply for our rotations.
Applications for the 2018-2019 school year will be accepted beginning April 2, 2018. Students are welcome to apply for rotations year-round. The designated dates of rotations are non-adjustable. All applications received between April 2 and April 30 will be accepted equally. Beginning May 1, applications will be accepted on a first-come, first served basis. An application is not considered complete until it has been accepted by the OHSU School of Medicine Dean's Office, the Clerkship Director, and, if applicable, the department you are requesting a rotation in.
Please visit the School of Medicine website to view requirements for visiting medical students. The Department of Surgery requires the following additional items prior to acceptance:
- Letter of Recommendation from a surgeon you have worked with in the past
- Letter of Intent
- USMLE score (and COMLEX score if you are a D.O.)
Upon acceptance, you must provide the following to the Department of Surgery:
- Letter of Good Standing
- Background check (copy of official report)
- 10 panel drug test (your letter of good standing may state that you have done AND passed this)
- BLS and/or ACLS that will be current during your rotations
- Copy of school evaluation
- Certificates of completion for required modules
We offer the following rotations to our Visiting Students:
- Blue General Surgery - Hepatopancreaticobiliary
- Gold General Surgery - Oncology
- Green General Surgery - Colorectal and General Surgery
- Red General Surgery - Esophagus and Bariatric
- Trauma Surgical ICU
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Pediatric Surgery
- Plastic Surgery
- Vascular Surgery
- Surgery Research (prior arrangements must be made)
Accepted visiting students who find themselves unable to fulfill their assigned rotation must notify the Department of Surgery in writing at least 60 days prior to their rotation start date.
Although there are a limited number of rotations available, we make every effort to accommodate visiting students. Please keep in mind that acceptance for a visiting rotation is not a guarantee that you will be invited for an interview for a position in our general surgery or plastic surgery residency programs.
Lastly, it is important to note that many students need rotations between July and December in preparation for the match. If you are requesting a surgical rotation and NOT intending to apply to our surgical residency program, we ask that you avoid these months. If those months are unavoidable for you, we are happy to place you on a waitlist. Please indicate your needs in your Letter of Intent so that we can best accommodate all applicants.
If you have any further questions, please email our Medical Student Coordinator.