VISITING FOURTH YEAR STUDENTS FROM THE US & CANADA

Visiting Students from AAMC/LCME Accredited Schools:

Columbia University will be using VSAS, the new Visiting Student Application Service, to receive visiting student applications starting April 15, 2008. The date launch date was recently pushed back from March 25th to April 15th. To apply to our school, please complete and send us a VSAS application for your preferred electives and dates. For more information on VSAS, please see www.aamc.org/vsas, or contact vsas@aamc.org, or (202) 478-9878. For more information on our visiting student electives, please contact Jessica Ash at jz2173@columbia.edu.

We will not accept paper applications in lieu of the VSAS application.

VSAS Tips:

Prior to the VSAS launch on April 15th you should contact your dean's office and notify them you are applying to Columbia University. The online application requires that you upload your CV and picture.

After you are approved for an elective you need to confirm your participation by submitting a $150 fee via this website. The link will be posted shortly.

In addition, in order for you to participate in the elective you must submit the immunization form. Please do not submit the immunization form until you have been approved for the elective.

Visiting Students from Osteopathic/AOA Accredited Schools:

Application for Visiting Osteopathic Students

Electives Offered at P&S

Students matriculated at AAMC medical schools are welcome to apply for elective courses at the College of Physicians & Surgeons. Visiting students SHOULD NOT contact the course directors directly. All inquiries MUST go through the Office of Student Affairs. Failure to apply through the Office of Student Affairs will result in denial of credit for the elective.

Please read the following requirements carefully:

1. Application process: Applications will not be processed until all completed component parts have been received.

   APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE FOLLOWING DATES OR THEY WILL NOT BE REVIEWED:
   

   July Deadline: May 31 August Deadline: June 30 September Deadline: July 31 October Deadline: August 31 November Deadline: September 30 December Deadline: October 31 January Deadline: November 30 February Deadline: December 31 March Deadline: January 31 April Deadline: February 28 May Deadline: March 31 June Deadline: April 30

   THESE DEADLINES ARE ABSOLUTE AND NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE. Once placed, changes are NOT permitted for any reason. Applications must include ALL of the following: P&S application form, Dean's Certification form, Immunization Record, $150 processing PER ELECTIVE MONTH, and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member who has supervised the applicant in the required clerkship most closely related to the elective requested. A letter from the Dean's Office verifying student's enrollment in school is NOT a sufficient recommendation.

2. Application processing schedule: Visiting student applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications will be processed after Columbia students register. Columbia P&S students generally register according to the following schedule; however, this is only a guideline and may change at the discretion of the Office of Student Affairs.

   Month Requested Registration (Processing Begins) Notification Begins July, August, or September Late April Late May October, November, December, or January Late July Late August February, March, or April Late October Late November

   PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ELECTIVE PLACEMENTS ARE BINDING. Once placed in an elective, students are not permitted to change electives or elective months for any reason. If a student cancels his/her participation after being placed, he/she is ineligible for a refund or any other electives.

3. Application processing fee: A $150 check PER ELECTIVE MONTH is required for each application. For example, if a student applies for three electives for the month of September, a $150 fee is required. However, if a student applies for one in September, two in October, and three in November, the fee is $450. Checks or money orders should be made payable to Columbia University and should be included with your application. We cannot accept Postal Money Orders from Canada. Canadian students must send a bank draft in the amount of $150 US Dollars drawn on a bank with a US correspondent bank in order to be accepted. THIS FEE IS NON-REFUNDABLE.
4. Sites: If an elective at a particular site is not open to visiting students, it will be clearly noted. Unless stated otherwise in the course description, all electives are open to visiting students. We do NOT schedule students for electives at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Students interested in applying for electives at Cornell should contact the electives coordinator at (212) 746-1054, or visit the school's web site at http://guilds.med.cornell.edu/electivescatalogue/visiting/i-visiti.html
5. Good standing: Fourth year students who have completed ALL required clinical clerkships are eligible to apply only if they are in good academic standing at an AAMC/LCME medical school. Students in their third year are NOT eligible.
6. Time permitted: Three months of electives are permitted. All P&S electives are run on the calendar month. Unless otherwise specified, all electives begin on the first day or weekday of the month and end on the last. Visiting students are expected to alter their schedules to fit our calendar. Visiting students can apply for electives for May and June if the electives are offered during those months.
7. Credit: Visiting students receive academic credit from their own medical schools for electives completed at P&S. Students are only eligible to complete electives at Columbia University and its affiliated hospitals only if they have applied through and been approved by the Office of Student Affairs. No other arrangements will accord students visiting privileges or academic credit. ALL VISITING STUDENTS SHOULD CONTACT THE OFFICE OF STUDENT AFFAIRS PRIOR TO MAKING ANY ELECTIVE ARRANGEMENTS WITH P&S FACULTY OR ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS. Visiting students are not considered matriculated students at P&S. Transcripts will not be issued on completion of electives. P&S faculty are not required to complete non-P&S evaluation forms. It is the responsibility of the visiting student both to furnish performance evaluations at the completion of the elective month to the P&S preceptor and to ensure that it arrives at the student's school. THE COMPLETION OF VISITING STUDENT EVALUATIONS IS NOT FACILITATED BY THE OFFICE OF STUDENT AFFAIRS. ALL EVALUATION FORMS SHOULD BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE COURSE DIRECTORS OR COORDINATORS AFTER ELECTIVE APPROVAL HAS BEEN GRANTED.
8. Health: Visiting students must have proof of health, liability, and malpractice insurance. Physicians in the P&S Student Health Service will see visiting students for emergency medical problems. Visiting students will be appropriately billed if consultations, laboratory studies, x-rays, and/or medications are required. THE STUDENT HEALTH SERVICE OF THE HOME INSTITUTION MUST COMPLETE OUR IMMUNIZATION RECORD. The TB test, PPD, or chest x-ray MUST be dated within ONE YEAR of the start date of the elective.
9. Housing: Single dormitory rooms with corridor bath and shower facilities are available at Bard Hall. Contact the Director, Health Sciences Campus, Central Housing Office, Bard Hall, 50 Haven Ave., New York, NY, 10032, (212) 304-7000 for current room rates. The hospital will provide accommodations for on-call responsibilities. HOUSING IS NOT AVAILABLE MAY THROUGH OCTOBER.
10. International Students: Students attending international medical institutions not affiliated with the College of Physicians & Surgeons are not eligible to apply for electives. On rare occasion, students can participate in research or an observership only, and are not permitted to have patient contact. The following web site provides a list of schools in New York State that accept international students for electives: http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/ps/affairs/forstud.html