VSLO - Visiting Student Learning Opportunities

U.S. Students

You’ve got the dream; We’ve got the roadmap. 

A visiting medical student (VSLO) in scrubs in the courtyard of Geffen Hall

The David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at UCLA uses the AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) program, to receive applications from US medical and osteopathic students.

VSLO Application
Apply to the VSLO program.
Catalog
2024-2025 elective courses for U.S visiting students.
Calendar
Typical three-week blocks for electives.
Handbook
DGSOM medical student policies and guidelines.

VSLO Requirements for U.S. Students

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.

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).
  • The student coordinator of your elective is responsible for emailing you a copy of your student performance evaluation. Upon request, this will be submitted directly to the student's home school after the completion of the elective.
  • 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

Disclaimer: The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is not responsible for determining whether, or in what way, the UCLA elective is to be credited toward the requirements of the home medical school, including credit toward graduation of the student at the home medical school.

VSLO FAQ for U.S. Students

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 

U.S. visiting students can take elective courses. We do not offer research electives or pre-clinical experiences. 

U.S. Visiting Student 2024-25 Catalog  

DGSOM at UCLA will be accepting visiting medical students for the 2024-2025 academic year. DGSOM's catalog on VSLO will be viewable on Monday March 11th, 2024. Applications will open on March 18th, 2024.  Applications must be submitted in VSLO at least two months (60 days) prior to the start date of the elective. 

Scheduling decisions are made at the elective level. You will be notified of the elective decision at least 60 days prior to your preferred start date.

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.

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)