Visiting Students Program 2024-2025 Academic Year

Medical students walking

Georgetown University School of Medicine and MedStar Health look forward to hosting fourth-year visiting students for the 2024-2025 academic year. All visiting student rotations must be processed through the AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) platform. The 2024-2025 application timeline is outlined below:

  • The Georgetown visiting student course catalog for the 2024-2025 academic year will be published in VSLO in early March 2024.
  • We will begin accepting applications through VSLO starting April 1st, 2024.
  • Applications will be reviewed by departments starting April 1st, 2024 and will be processed on a rolling basis.

PPE:  Consistent with the AAMC guidelines for student involvement in direct patient care activities, PPE is provided on-site for all visiting students participating in any approved clinical rotation throughout the MedStar Health system.

International Rotations: For international student inquiries, please contact Dr. Irma Frank, Senior Associate Dean for International Programs for further information. Dr. Frank can be reached at franki@georgetown.edu.

Important Information for Visiting Students (2024-25)

Visiting electives are offered to 4th-year medical students enrolled in U.S. LCME-accredited and osteopathic institutions. Please refer to the Policy on Visiting Students (Eligibility & Requirements) prior to applying through VSLO.

The VSLO application portal will open April 1st for application submissions. Departments will begin reviewing applications as they are received – each department will process applications according to their internal procedures. 

Please do not call or e-mail regarding the status of your application. Contacting the Office of Medical Education will not expedite the processing of your application. Students will receive notifications of their application status as decisions are made. Applications that are pending a decision are still under consideration by the respective department. Decisions will be made no less than 30 days prior to the requested start date. The first block starts May 28th, 2024.

If you are offered a spot to rotate, you will be notified via VSLO email. You will receive further information from the course administrator/director closer to the rotation start date. If you have not heard from your elective administrator/director within one week prior to the start of your scheduled rotation date, please email the Office of Medical Education at medicaleducationoffice@georgetown.edu.

VSLO Required Uploads Pre-Invitation:

  • When applying for an elective, you and/or your home institution are required to complete and submit the following items:
    • Acknowledgement of the Minimal Technical Standards required to participate in a visiting rotation. Students will download a form from VSLO to be signed and re-uploaded.
    • Transcript (uploaded by your school)
    • CV/Resume
    • VSLO Verification Questionnaire (completed by your school)      

Some elective courses require supplemental documents, such as a letter of interest, letter of recommendation, etc. Please review the course listing for any supplemental requirements.   

VSLO Required Uploads Post-Decision:

  • You will be required to submit the following requirements if accepted for a rotation:
    • AAMC Standardized Immunization Form
    • Medical Malpractice Insurance ($1,000,000/incident; $3,000,000 aggregate, at minimum)
    • BLS/ACLS Certification Card
    • Background Check Verification
    • OSHA Training 
    • Influenza Vaccine Documentation (For late Fall-Spring rotations, flu shot should be for the current flu season)
    • Personal Health Insurance Documentation
    • Mask Fit Test Verification (including type/size of mask; must be within one year of rotation start date)
    • Needlestick Attestation Form (downloaded from VSLO)
    • $150 Administrative Fee (submitted electronically via credit card; non-refundable)
      •  There is a $6 credit card processing fee for a total required payment of $156

We must receive all of your paperwork at least four weeks before the start of your scheduled rotation to avoid the automatic drop of your elective in VSLO.

Housing, Parking, & Directions

Housing

Georgetown University SOM/MedStar Health are unable to offer complementary housing assistance for visiting students. The AAMC suggests rotatingroom.com or housinganywhere.com for temporary housing accommodations. Please find below two Housing Guides that we hope will be of assistance as you plan for your visiting rotation– keep in mind that these are most applicable to rotations at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Students scheduled for rotations at other Georgetown/MedStar sites will want to consider housing options in closer proximity to that site.

Housing Guide provided by VeryApt
This guide includes feedback & data from DC residents at large, but the ratings found on pages 2, 5, 10, etc. are direct & specific feedback from only GUSOM students.

Housing Guide provided by GUSOM Admissions
This guide was created using data collected from current GUSOM students and circulated to incoming students to provide an overview of the GUSOM & DC area.

Parking

Parking at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (MGUH) is very limited and is not available to visiting medical students. We recommend utilizing other means of transportation to get to the MGUH campus, such as the GUTS bus (see below), Metro Bus, biking, walking, or ride share.

For students rotating at other Georgetown/MedStar sites, including MedStar Washington Hospital Center and our Baltimore locations, parking is available. Additional parking details will be provided to visiting students by the respective department prior to the rotation start date.

Directions & Transit

For rotations at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital:

Directions to Georgetown
Visiting students arriving at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) can take a taxi/ride share from the airport to Georgetown. You can also take the BLUE LINE Metrorail from National Airport to the Rosslyn Metro Station and catch the free Georgetown University Transportation System (GUTS bus) to campus (significantly cheaper than taxi/ride share). If flying into Dulles International Airport (IAD), the SILVER LINE Metrorail can be taken from IAD to Rosslyn Metro Station to connect to the GUTS bus. Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) is significantly further from Georgetown. There is a shuttle from BWI to the Greenbelt Metro Station. Please check the WMATA website for more information. 

If staying locally at a hotel or with friends too far from MGUH to conveniently walk, you may wish to utilize the Metrobus system which, with connections, comes down Reservoir Road, NW, with a stop directly in front of the School of Medicine at 3900 Reservoir Road, NW.

Metrobus and Metrorail route and schedule information is available on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) website, or by calling 202-637-7000.  The GUTS bus schedule is also available online.

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital & Department Directory (new window)

MGUH Food Directory (new window)

For rotations at MedStar Washington Hospital Center:

MWHC Driving Directions, Hospital Map, and Transportation

Specific parking instructions will be provided by the department prior to the rotation start date.

2024-2025 Georgetown Block Schedule

Login to VSLO here: www.aamc.org/vslo

For problems with your VSLO account, please email VSLO Support here or call (202) 478-9878  Monday – Friday, 8am – 6pm Eastern Time

AAMC VSLO Resources

How to Report Misconduct as a Visiting Student

Learn more about our Virtual Fertility Awareness Based Methods for Women’s Health, Preventing Pregnancy and Addressing Infertility Elective on the FACTS About Fertility website here (new window).

Needlestick Injury Notice:

If you are involved in a needlestick injury while rotating at a MedStar Health or GUSOM affiliated site, you will need to go to Occupational Health or the Emergency Room for immediate care. 

Visiting Students should utilize this Needlestick Protocol to obtain appropriate care.

** Please note: You or your home institution are responsible for all costs associated with any needlestick injuries.  Georgetown University School of Medicine and MedStar Health are not responsible for the cost of care for any needlestick injuries.