Domestic Away Rotations

2021-2022 Statement on Medical Student Away Rotations

For the 2021-2022 academic year, the University of Minnesota Medical School will adhere to the Coalition for Physician Accountability's recommendations on away rotations [updated 4/14/2021]. Limited exceptions will be considered, including military away rotation requirements. Contact your academic advisor with questions about other possible exceptions.

For the 2022-2023 academic year, we have not received updated guidelines; however, we will plan on following further recommendations from the Coalition for Physician Accountablity. Updated guidelines will be posted here once available.

Away Rotation Basics

• Away Rotation Basics and Frequently Asked Questions - General information on who typically completes and away rotation and why, which may help in deciding whether or not completing an away rotation is the right fit.
  
• Program Director Survey - Report that is put out by NRMP each year that gives information about what program directors are looking for with applicants from all specialties.  Includes information about the importance of away rotations.  Scroll down to bottom of the page for the links.
• Faculty Advisor List
• Specialty Experts List

Preparation for Applications

• Checklist to use for each school - Resource to track pertinent information for each application. Not all of the information will be applicable for every school or program.
• Documents to gather and where to find them - Common documents that are requested by away rotation sites and instructions on where to go to obtain documentation if needed.
• Affiliation agreements - Sites that we have worked with and have an established affiliation agreement. Contact vsas@umn.edu immediately if working with a site that is requesting an affiliation agreement.
  
• Where students have gone in the past - A general list of the number of students by institution and department.
• Site evaluations of previous away rotation sites - Site evaluations filled out by former students that provide additional information that may help with the decision of where to rotate.
• List of students willing to be contacted - Since this has student contact information in it, it is protected by UMN x500 and requires a sign in using @umn.edu (rather than @d.umn.edu).
• Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) - Students are able to view different institutions and search the electives offered though the "Search Electives" feature.
  
• Please consider the timing of the Clinical Competency Assessment, which is required for graduation, in your plans.
  

Apply for Away Rotations

• VSLO Fees and FAQ
• VSLO Application Instructions - Guides put out by VSLO on how to utilize the system.
• For direct applications, please enter vsas@umn.edu if asked for an email for verification.
• Once students have accepted away rotations, they can complete the INMD 7554/7555 application, also found in the course directory, to have it added to their schedule.
• INMD 7554 - Not Hands On
• INMD 7555 - Hands On
• An away rotation qualifies for hands on credit if the student spends at least 50% of the time devoted to direct patient care and/or performing activities of a professional in that specialty.

Attend Away Rotations

• To receive a grade for the course, students will work with the rotation to have a performance assessment completed. The clinical performance assessment form can be used and uploaded with this link. The form and upload link can also be found in the course directory.
• Students must complete an evaluation of their elective away in MedHub after the completion of their course.