SCHEDULING “AWAY” ELECTIVES (PUBLISHED ROTATIONS)
AT OTHER LCME-ACCREDITED
MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES

• View the Away Elective Approval Form (PDF)
• Allow ten (10) working days for the Division of Clinical Education to process application materials once the COMPLETED PACKET OF MATERIALS has been received.
  
• The Division of Clinical Education must have a copy of both sides of your health insurance card on file in order to process Away applications.  Send a copy of both sides of your health insurance card to clinicaleducation@drexel.edu.  This will be maintained on file for all future Away application requests.
• Drexel University College of Medicine medical students may complete up to 16 weeks of elective rotations at Away sites (sites other than the Drexel University College of Medicine established educational clinical sites).  However, as noted in the student handbook, students cannot exceed the maximum number of weeks allowed in a discipline between Away rotations and Home site rotations (see link for 4th year scheduling guidelines https://webcampus.med.drexel.edu/Content/Handbook/).  No required rotation may be completed at other medical schools.  Required rotations include the required Emergency Medicine Subinternship, Pathway required subinternship, and a Pathway-defined required course (if applicable).  If the required course is scheduled and completed at "a Home site location" students may complete, for example, an Emergency Medicine Subinternship as an elective at another institution. 

Applying for Away Electives:

VSLO: The AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) program has an extensive listing of visiting student learning opportunities. https://students-residents.aamc.org/visiting-student-learning-opportunities/visiting-student-learning-opportunities-vslo/

Applying for VSLO Away Electives:

Please follow instructions on how to use VSLO: https://students-residents.aamc.org/attending-medical-school/article/how-use-vslo-application-service/

Send a copy of both sides of your health insurance card to clinicaleducation@drexel.edu.  The Division of Clinical Education must have a copy of the front and back of your health insurance card on file in order to verify and release your VSLO requests.  Note: We will keep a copy on file for further applications.

VSLO will notify Drexel when your application is to be verified and released, and we also will be notified of a requirement if it is the “Home” school’s responsibility to fulfill.

Regarding transcripts, the Office of the University Registrar will automatically be notified by AAMC to upload your transcript to VSLO. Please note that only grades in DrexelOne appear on your transcript. If a grade is in DOCSS but not yet in DrexelOne, it will not appear on your transcript. You can confirm which grades are on your transcript at any time by review your unofficial transcript in DrexelOne:

Login to DrexelOne

Select the "Academic Tab"

Click the "Academic Transcript" link in the "Grades, Transcripts, and Records" channel

(Also, if you receive new grades on your transcript and want your transcript updated, please email us at ql-transcripts@drexel.edu and request that a new transcript be uploaded to VSLO.)

Regarding Letters of Recommendation (LOR), if a LOR is required for VSLO, the LOR should be emailed to clinicaleducation@drexel.edu directly from the letter writer. Once received, your letter will be uploaded to VSLO and will be "private."

If Drexel is required to verify or upload a drug screening for an away elective, the drug screening must be completed through Certiphi. Please contact IMMSURV@drexel.edu for instructions.

If you need additional information regarding VSLO requirements, please contact us at clinicaleducation@drexel.edu.

 

Applying for Non-VSLO Away Electives:

Contact the person or office specified by the information source for an application. Students may be able to download an application from a web site if the school has one. Follow the instructions for applying and gather the site's required documents which will make up a complete application packet according to the site's instructions. This may involve:

1. Immunization Forms:   contact DUCoM’s Office of Documentation Surveillance IMMSURV@drexel.edu / 215-991-8560 and/or your private physician.  See Section 4:  Health policy:  https://webcampus.med.drexel.edu/handbook/ for Drexel student requirements.
   
   
2. Including your Transcript (if required): after reviewing your grades in DrexelONE, send an EMAIL to the Office of the Registrar following the sample email below: Please specify the email address where the transcript can be sent.
   
   SAMPLE EMAIL (must be sent from your drexel.edu account):
   Email to: QL-Transcripts@drexel.edu
   Subject: non-VSAS Away Transcript
   
   Dear Registrar - please email my official transcript to the below away rotation at:
   
   University of xxxxx
   Program Name
   Email Address
   Attn: xxxxx
   My full name and Drexel ID are below:
   Name: (First and Last)
   ID: 12345678 or abc123
   Thank you, Student
   
   Note: If the transcript should be emailed to the Division of Clinical Education to be sent out from your school with other documents, please specify to send the transcript to hte Division of Clinical Education at clinicaleducation@drexel.edu (also include the address).
   You will receive an email from the Registrar when the transcript has been released.
   Note: If you submit a request online via DrexelONE, you will be charged a fee!!
   
   
3. Provide the Division of Clinical Education the application with the student’s portion completed, all appended documents, application fee (if applicable) and a checklist of all requirements that will make up a complete packet. 
   
   The Division of Clinical Education will include a letter of good standing with each application.  There may be requirements that the Division of Clinical Education will have on file such as Liability Insurance documentation, background check information, OSHA, etc.  We will review the checklist and let you know if we do not have a requirement on file, or if we have question about your application.  Do not provide postage.  DUCoM will provide the postage/envelope.

Please be aware that there are some sites that have clauses in the application/affiliation agreement that will not be able to be reconciled and you will not be able to apply or rotate.  If this is the case, you will be notified as soon as possible. Our General Counsel and Risk Management have informed us that, due to Colorado's Workers Compensation Laws, we may not be able to place you at a Colorado location. Drexel University is unable to provide workers compensation for students. Some Colorado institutions will provide the required coverage. We will release your VSLO applications, however, please review the institution policies.

 

Procedure for Adding an Accepted Away Rotation to your DOCSS Schedule (after a Host School Approves an Elective):

When you apply for an elective via VSLO, DUCoM is giving you approval to APPLY for an elective.  Final review and approval take place once all documentation is received by DUCoM.
Once you are accepted for a VSLO elective, you must complete an Away Elective Approval Form (PDF) along with the URL address of the course description and submit it to clinicaleducation@drexel.edu PRIOR TO the elective commencing to ensure that the elective meets all requirements of DUCoM.
The AWAY Elective Approval form and documentation is the only way that you will be able to receive the following:

1. Applicable insurance coverage for the elective.
2. An evaluation form for the elective.
3. Documentation on your transcript of the elective (with or without credit).

Once approved, the AWAY elective will be placed on your schedule (with or without credit) and an evaluation will be generated.
Please note: If a student receives notice that an elective has been approved, but the notice comes within the 5-week limit of a previously scheduled rotation, students need to immediately notify the Division of Clinical Education so it may be reviewed with the Division of Clinical Education Dean or the Student Affairs Dean to discuss whether an emergency schedule change is appropriate.  Students are responsible to notify the host school of whether they will be doing the rotation.

It is imperative to take special care in scheduling away rotations.  Consider timelines for dropping rotations.  The DUCoM policy is 5 weeks.  The drop-notification time may be longer or shorter at other Away sites.  If you have multiple acceptances for rotations occurring in the same block, be sure to notify the institutions you will be declining as soon as possible to allow other students to take advantage of the opportunity. We discourage dropping any rotation outside the institution deadlines as this would be viewed as unprofessional behavior.
Please allow plenty of time for all phases of this process.  Do not wait until the last minute.  No matter how important an opportunity may seem to you, timelines and deadlines will not be waived.  

Your transcript will not be complete (and your diploma will not be released) until your evaluations have been received from Away rotations as well as Home site rotations.   Final transcripts, which are necessary for licensing, cannot be released until all evaluations are posted.  With evaluations in mind, doing an away rotation for 12a is strongly discouraged.

Again, please allow ten (10) working days for the Division of Clinical Education to process application materials once the COMPLETED PACKET OF MATERIALS has been received.  Applications are processed in order of receipt.

Revised 3/11/25

NOTE:
The Special Electives Committee will not review/consider an incomplete packet.
Students are responsible for adhering to all policies and procedures of Away Schools/Sites even though an elective has received approval from the Special Electives Committee.

Revised 02/4/2025

SPECIAL ELECTIVE REQUEST

Sample Research Proposal

• Objective(s)of the study, e.g. to determine whether there is a correlation between x and y or to learn methods for conducting clinical trials)
• Introduction (briefly state why this problem needs to be studied)
• Hypothesis
• Methods/Study Design—be specific here—do not for example state that “data will be collected”—what data will be collected or what measurements will be taken and how will this be done (e.g. chart review—what data, wet lab assays) and method of data analysis (including # of patients or samples that will be included in the study). The student's role(s) in the research must be clearly stated.
• References — cite pertinent literature and studies within the proposal and include a list of references at the end (not included in the 2 page proposal count).
• Letter from the mentor stating his/her role and level of involvement in the student’s research and method of evaluation—the student is required to write a brief report of the research results which should be reviewed and should be factored into the grade, along with criteria such as amount of time devoted to the research, understanding of the field (as a reflection of reading), actual performance. Letter is to be signed by the mentor
• Documentation of IRB approval or IRB exemption must be included with application. In addition, any IRB requirements needed to be fulfilled per the institution's IRB, must be completed prior to the student beginning the research. It is the student's responsibility to ask the mentor (or the person they have appointed to oversee the regulatory aspects of the protocol) about these requirements in advance.

SCHEDULING INTERNATIONAL ELECTIVES
12-weeks notice for request recommended; 8-week minimum notice required

Drexel University College of Medicine medical students may arrange international elective clinical experiences. They are included in the sixteen (16) weeks of "away" time permitted to each student. International rotations must be completed for a minimum of 4-weeks. Arrangements may be time consuming, and there are many bases to cover both in setting up the international experience and getting institutional approval from Drexel University College of Medicine. Students should begin planning international medical experiences approximately one (1) year before the estimated date of starting the rotation.

The best time for international electives is after Match Day and before graduation. Keep the following in mind: there are times of the final year when it is really unwise to be out of the country; Avoid scheduling an international rotation during peak interview season: November through January; Avoid being out of the country on Match Day. If, for any reason, a student who is away does not match for a program, that student would not be able to deal effectively with finding a program during the "SOAP," if out of the country. Students are not permitted to do an away/international rotation Block 11 (Commencement Block).  Your transcript will not be complete (and your diploma will not be released) until your evaluation has been received.


CAUTION: If the country has a Travel Warning at the time of travel, students may not be issued international elective credit.
CAUTION: If the country has a Travel Alert, students will be cautioned to review and may not be issued international elective credit
CAUTION: If the country is assigned to the trade embargo list prior to the time of travel, the student will not be issued international elective credit.

(Above Warning and Alert information may be found on U.S. Department of State: http://www.state.gov/travel/ )

The above requests for travel under warnings are subject to a review process by the Provost Cabinet.

 

Sources of Information about International Clinical Elective Experiences

• The Internet: http://www.amsa.org/AMSA/Homepage/EducationCareerDevelopment/IntlHealthOpps.aspx
• The Division of Clinical Education: There may be names of individuals, internal student-developed resources and phone numbers or e-mail addresses for resources available through the Division of Clinical Education.

Over the past several years students have had the opportunity to perform clinical or research rotations in the countries listed below. Please be advised that a DUCoM Release Form must be on file for any international rotation before a student may attend.
Africa Argentina Armenia Australia Cambodia Canada China Costa Rica Ecuador England Fiji France Germany Ghana Greece	Honduras India Ireland Israel Korea, Republic of (South Korea) Lesotho, Kingdom of Mexico Nepal Nigeria Peru Singapore South Africa Sweden Taiwan
Examples of some of the rotations that have been completed are:
Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine Ambulatory Medicine Emergency Medicine Family Medicine/Community Health/Disease Prevention HIV Medicine International Health Medicine - Spanish Immersion (credit not given for language) Neurology OB/GYN Ophthalmology	Orthopaedics and subspecialties Otolaryngology Pathology Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Radiology Research Surgery and Surgical subspecialties Neurology Orthopaedics and subspecialties Women's Health

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE OFFICE OF GLOBAL HEALTH EDUCATION
Refer to the Global Health Education website.

PRIOR TO SETTING UP AN INTERNATIONAL ELECTIVE, STUDENTS SHOULD DISCUSS THE ELECTIVE WITH Dr. Nielufar Varjavand. Please set up an appointment to meet with Dr. Varjavand by emailing her at NV25@drexel.edu. Dr. Varjavand will provide the application and additional instructions.

 

Applying for an International Elective

Students should..

(A, B and C may need to be done simultaneously; however, we recommend that you do not pay any fees until approval is secured by both Drexel University Global Health Office and Drexel University College of Medicine)

       A.   Find out if the program can offer them a position and what they need to do to get it.

1.    Contact the site or sites in which they are interested

2.    Obtain the name of the contact person for the school or programs to which they are applying.

3.    Find out when there are available clinical opportunities at that site.

4.    Learn the prerequisites for the rotation.

5.    Find out the time line for the application process, deadlines, etc.

Once the information has been obtained, the following steps must be followed: Students must..

Step 1: Identify the country(ies) in which they wish to travel.

Step 2: Meet with Dr. Varjavand nv25@drexel.edu to discuss the elective prior to the application process proceeding. This may be done via teleconference.

Step 3 (you may do the above simultaneously; however we recommend that you do not pay any fees until approval is secured)

B.   Obtain school approval for a Special Elective. Obtain a Special Electives Request packet (https://webcampus.med.drexel.edu//ClinicalEducation/#Year4/ApplicationSpecElec.htm) and add additional documentation as required and review with Dr. Varjavand and then submit as required.
1.    Complete the Special Electives Request, following ALL instructions in the packet. In describing the international elective for the Special Elective Request application, students will need to define their specific educational objectives for the elective in a cover letter. The educational objective(s) should be clear and well defined.  "For the interesting and stimulating experience," is NOT an educational objective. Weekly schedule/grid is required.
2.    Student must consult and review plans with Pathway Directors or Advisors.  The Special Elective Request will need that person's signature.
3.    Include with the packet copies of the informational materials sent from the international program, which describe that international institution and its educational programs. ("link" to program is not sufficient)
4.    Include with the packet a copy of scheduled and planned senior year schedule.

C.   Apply to the sponsoring international program: Fill out the materials and gather any needed letters of recommendation for the international institution itself. It is advised that you do not pay any deposit prior to written approval of the Special Elective Committee. 

        

In summary, the approval process is multi-pronged: Students need the approval of the host international institution, their Pathway Directors or Advisors, the Drexel University College of Medicine Special Electives Committee, and the Drexel University Global Health Office.

While this process is occurring, students planning international electives need to gather information about obtaining a visa, if necessary, update and/or obtain recommended immunizations, and see if they would best be served by having supplemental health insurance coverage. Call the host country's embassy or the program itself to obtain information and guidance on getting a visa, if needed.

The following websites will be helpful in obtaining Country specific information and additional immunization travel requirements and alerts.

• U.S. Department of State: http://www.state.gov/travel/
• U.S. Department of State Consular Information Sheets: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_4965.html
• Center for Disease Control Travel: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/
  

 

CAUTION: If the country has a Travel Warning at the time of travel, students may not be issued international elective credit.
CAUTION: If the country has a Travel Alert, students will be cautioned to review and may not be issued international elective credit
CAUTION: If the country is assigned to the trade embargo list prior to the time of travel, the student will not be issued international elective credit.

(Above Warning and Alert information may be found on U.S. Department of State: http://www.state.gov/travel/ )

The above requests for travel under warnings are subject to a review process by the Provost Cabinet.

 

Once all approvals have been granted, students must provide the Division of Clinical Education with the following:
        An Away Elective Approval Form signed by the Pathway Director or Advisor.

        Contact information of the host international program, including a telephone number, fax number, e-mail address (if available) and the full mailing address (Update prior to departure if necessary)

         Signed DUCOM Waiver (foreign study release form)

 

The Division of Clinical Education will provide each student with a blank evaluation form to take to the host international program. The evaluation form may be faxed or emailed to the Division of Clinical Education and the original form then mailed.

  01/28/2020