VSLO

Our electives are open to fourth-year students only. 

VSLO applicants must be in good academic standing and actively progressing toward a Doctor of Medicine degree at an affiliated LCME-accredited institution, or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at an affiliated COCA-accredited AACOM Member Institution. Applicants must have completed their core clerkships.

The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is now using VSLO, the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) program, to receive visiting student applications. To apply to our institution, please complete a VSLO application for your preferred electives and dates.  

When you apply, please do not submit more than six elective and/or date selection choices at a time through VSLO. You should only have a maximum number of six pending applications at one time. Additional applications submitted beyond the limit will be immediately rejected.

VSLO Info and Application 

Certifications must cover you throughout your proposed elective time frame.

• Valid OSHA Certification
• Valid ACLS or BLS
• Valid Mask Fit Test - Required for all sites, but please note if you rotate through one of our LA County facilities (Harbor, OVH) you will need to use the N-95 Halyard/Kimberly-Clark mask and NOT 3M.

AAMC Standard Immunization Form - Please note that UCLA requires TB clearance within a year of your proposed elective time frame.

CV - Brief account of education, qualifications, publications, etc.

Transcripts - Official copy of your medical school transcript indicating successful completion of core clinical clerkships must be uploaded by your home school.

Statement of Intent - Short paragraph of 150 words of less outlining why you would like to rotate in the desired department. 

Letter of Recommendation - A letter of recommendation is required for all electives. This letter should be from a clinical faculty member and should speak to your clinical abilities but does not have to be from the department in which you are applying unless otherwise stated. If you have waived your rights to view your letter, your home institution can upload this document to your VSLO profile, and then you can assign it to your application(s).

Proof of Personal Health Insurance - You are required to submit evidence of personal health insurance (hospitalization and major medical care) during the time of the proposed clerkship. Health insurance for visitors is mandatory prior to enrollment but is NOT offered through the school.  Proof may be supplied in the form of a photocopy of your health insurance ID card or a letter from the insurance carrier.

HIPAA Privacy & Information Security Training - All applicants must show compliance by uploading the certificate of completion at the conclusion of the UCLA HIPAA Privacy and Information Security Training for New Workforce Members. To obtain the certificate, take the HIPAA Privacy and Information Security Training. You must watch a short video, review the slides, read the policies, take the quiz, and print out the certificate that will appear upon successful completion of the module.  The UCLA module must be completed by all visiting students regardless of training done at one's home school.

UCLA MITS Confidentiality Survey - For access to computerized patient information systems, please complete the following MITS Confidentiality Survey for Visiting Medical Students. Enter all the requested information directly into the form using the same email address as your VSLO application. Submit a screenshot of either, the survey confirmation, or your email confirmation to VSLO. 

MITS Confidentiality Survey for Visiting Students (Qualtrics Link)

USMLE Step 1 Score Report or COMPLEX-USA Report - Please upload a copy of your USMLE Step 1/COMLEX-USA score report.

COVID-19 Vaccination Information - Visiting students are required to follow UCLA Vaccination Policy.

The additional requirements for locations will vary. Please be sure to look through the information in this section to understand the additional requirements for clearance at our affiliated sites. 

UCLA Medical Centers

Additional Information for Electives at the UCLA Medical Center.

This Includes:

• Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (RRUCLAMC)
• Center for Health Sciences (CHS)
• Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA
• Semel Institute
• Jules Stein Institute (JSEI)
• UCLA Medical Plaza
• UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (SM-UCLA)

Bruincard ID Badge - For electives at the UCLA Medical Centers listed above, you will need to obtain a Bruincard ID Badge. Information for how to start this process will be sent to you via email before your elective begins (about a month prior to the start of your rotation). You will pick up your badge on the first day of your rotation.  Please note that badges are printed with legal names only, and no degrees are included. 

CareConnect Access and Training - For electives at the UCLA Medical Centers listed above, you will need to complete the 3 hour online CareConnect training course before the first day of your elective.  Login and training information will be sent to you via email before your elective begins.

Universal Precautions & Exposure Hotline - Clinicians’ Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) Line can be reached at 1-888-448-4911. 

Lockers - Due to space limitations, there are no lockers available to visiting students while on rotation at UCLA. Students are advised to bring only what is required with them to the hospital.

Pagers -Pagers are only available to visiting students in certain departments. Please check with the department coordinator for availability.

Parking - We regret that students approved for courses at UCLA do not have parking privileges unless the department to which you are assigned is able to make arrangements for you to purchase a monthly permit. Please be advised that parking at UCLA is $15 per day.

Housing - Unfortunately we do not have access to university housing for visiting students.  You can try the links on the application web site for possible options.

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Requirements

Olive View-UCLA Medical Center Requirements (PDF)

• We only provide UCLA evaluations for visiting students (VSLO).
• Your course coordinator will email you and your school the completed evaluation when available.
• All visiting students will be required to complete a brief evaluation of elective clerkships and sub-internships and on teaching faculty. Students will receive an e-mail with evaluation instructions and links to the computerized UCLA evaluation system which protects student anonymity.

All visiting students, like DGSOM students, must adhere to the following Policies including:

1. UCLA Student Conduct Code
2. DGSOM Professionalism Policy
3. DGSOM Honor Code
4. UCLA Health Code of Conduct
5. DGSOM Attendance Policy
6. DGSOM Technical Standards
7. DGSOM Mistreatment Policy

• I already graduated from medical school. Am I eligible to rotate?
  • No. Visiting student rotations are designed for students who are enrolled in their final year of medical school and have already completed one full year of in-hospital clinical training.
• I have not yet completed core clerkships in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics, but I will complete them before I want to rotate at DGSOM. Can I apply now?
  • Yes. Core clerkships in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics must be completed before you can begin an elective at DGSOM. Your home school will be able to verify in VSLO the date you have or will complete a core rotation or other course. If you are accepted to a rotation, your school will need to submit an updated transcript showing successful completion of the clerkship(s) before you may begin your rotation.
• Can I complete multiple rotations?
  • Yes, students are permitted to complete up to 3 electives or 9 weeks of coursework. 

Training sites are located all over the city. The elective name on VSLO has the location listed- E.g., UCLA, Harbor UCLA, Olive View UCLA, and Santa Monica are all seperate elective locations. You can refer to our Affiliate Map to see where each site is located. Additional location details can be found on the course catalog. 

• When are applications due?
  • DGSOM at UCLA will be accepting visiting medical students for the 2025-2026 academic year. DGSOM's catalog on VSLO will be viewable on Tuesday January 21st, 2025. Applications will open on March 24th, 2025. Applications must be submitted in VSLO at least two and a half months (75 days) prior to the start date of the elective.
• Is there a maximum number of applications I can submit at once?
  • Yes. You can have 6 active elective, site, and/or date selection choices. Additional applications submitted beyond the limit will be rejected. E.G. if you want to apply to an elective at UCLA and one at Harbor UCLA, you could submit a maximum of 3 date ranges per elective.
• Can I send paperwork directly to a department or faculty member?
  • No. All application documents and supporting material should only be submitted via VSLO.
• How can I find out about availability of a rotation?
  • Availability can fluctuate daily due to add and drop requests and cannot be maintained in real time. For this reason, all electives are considered open unless they have been closed in VSLO. There is no guarantee that an elective will have availability at the time that you apply.
• Can I apply to electives if I haven't yet taken Step 1 or COMLEX 1?
  • Yes. We will require proof of a passing Step 1 or COMLEX 1 score before your rotation begins.

Links to different medical school scholarship opportunities for individual departments within the DGSOM system are listed here:

• UCLA Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine Visiting Student Scholarship Program
• UCLA Emergency Medicine Visiting Elective Scholarship Program
• UCLA Head and Neck Surgery Visiting Student Scholarship Program
• UCLA Internal Medicine Visiting Student Scholarship Program Flyer (PDF)
• UCLA Neurology Scholarship Program
• UCLA Neurosurgery Scholarship Program
• UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology Visiting Student Scholarship
• UCLA Ophthalmology Visiting Medical Student Scholarship
• UCLA Pediatrics Visiting Elective Scholarship Program
• UCLA Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences Visiting Elective Scholarship Program
• UCLA Radiology Visiting Student Scholarship Program
• UCLA Radiation Oncology Visiting Student Scholarship
• UCLA Surgery Visiting Student Scholarship
• UCLA Surgery Visiting Student Scholarship for HBCU Students
• UCLA Urology Visiting Student Scholarship Program
• Harbor-UCLA Anesthesiology Sub-internship Scholarship
• Harbor-UCLA Visiting Student Scholarship in Obstetrics and Gynecology

• How are applications processed by UCLA through VSLO?
  • Scheduling decisions are made at the elective level based on academic merit, availability, and other criteria that may vary by elective.
  • If selected to rotate, the visiting student coordinator reviews the student’s requirements to determine eligibility. Then the offer is sent. During busy seasons, DGSOM prioritizes sending offers for the soonest upcoming months. The latest you could expect to hear back would be 60 days before the starting month of your elective. That is when applications are closed to allow time for onboarding.
• How can I find out about the status of my application?
  • Please allow a minimum of 30 to 60 days for your application to be released by your home school and reviewed. Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are released to us by home schools. Please check VSLO for the most up-to-date status information.
  • If you have questions regarding your application’s status, you may contact our office via email at dgsomelectives@mednet.ucla.edu no earlier than 30 days after you have received email notification that your application was released. 

• I have been accepted to rotate, but I would like to change my scheduled block. Is this possible?
  • This might be possible. You should reach out to the student coordinator to let you know if they can offer a different block. You can find their contact information in our course catalog by searching for course numbers and then clicking on the course name.
• I have been accepted to rotate, but the dates offered do not line up with my school’s calendar. Can I modify the dates, extend, or shorten them?
  • Some of our electives are open to modifications such as start dates or durations, but others prefer to stick to fixed start dates. Any deviations from the standard 3-week blocks and start dates are at the discretion of the course coordinator. You can find their contact information in our course catalog by searching for course numbers and then clicking on the course name.
• What if I need Accommodations?
  • Contact the David Geffen School of Medicine's Director of Disability Services/CAE Disability Specialist.
    • Grace C. Clifford, MAEd
    • Book an appointment with Grace
    • Work Cell: 424-402-9864 (call or text)
• What are housing options?
  • Although the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA does not provide housing, we encourage you to check out the Rotating Room site to see what options are available to you near your site location.
  • You may also wish to check the main UCLA Community Housing Office website or the Daily Bruin.

On the same day, you accept your offer in VSLO, you must submit a non-refundable payment of $300/elective electronically. Please follow the link directly in your VSLO offer or access the Payment Options page.

• The processing fee is non-refundable.
• Submit one payment per elective:
  • If you are applying for more than one elective (up to a maximum of 3), you must pay separately for each elective
  • Each elective offer/acceptance should have its own Payment Confirmation Number
  • DO NOT CLOSE YOUR WEB BROWSER until the Payment Confirmation Number appears on the screen.
  • If you have questions about payments, please email DGSOMelectives@mednet.ucla.edu
• Housing
  • Although the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA does not provide housing, we encourage you to check out the Rotating Room site to see what options are available to you near your site location.
  • You may also wish to check the main UCLA Community Housing Office website or the Daily Bruin.