Observers and Visiting Trainees

High School & Undergraduate Students

Due to the highly competitive nature of opportunities for more advanced trainees and those in formal training programs, we are unable to offer shadowing and observation roles for high school and undergraduate students. Additionally, the Obstetrics and Gynecology population of patients encompasses a sensitive area of medicine and presents concerns for patient privacy. Please explore alternate opportunities below:

  • For those interested in learning more about medical school or a medical career, visit the Health Careers Center at the University of Minnesota.

Note: Medical observer experiences do not meet the requirement of residency programs for clinical experience.
 

University of Minnesota Medical Students

The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Women's Health accepts UMMS Medical Students on a limited basis. If you are a UMMS Medical Student, year 1 or 2, interested in an observer experience, please visit this page: UMN Medical Students.

University of Minnesota Medical Students Interested in Research Opportunities

UMN Medical Students who are interested in working with a research project in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health please complete this google form. By completing this form and any required training you will be added to the list of available students and will be contacted by Erin Zielinski as projects arise.  For questions please contact Erin Zielinski at [email protected].

In the meantime, it would be a good idea to complete the institution's required research training: 

  • Required for social-behavioral researchers and study personnel: The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) course, "Social/Behavioral or Humanist Research Investigators and Key Personnel -- Basic Course". See the CITI Training Instructions below. This training is required by the IRB. 
  • Required for biomedical principal investigators, researchers, and study personnel: The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) course, "Good Clinical Practice and Human Research Protections for Biomedical Study Teams -- Basic Course." See the CITI Training Instructions below. This training is required by the IRB.  
  • Depending on the type of research, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) training may be required. The training is available for UMN faculty and staff, and UMP employees through the Training Hub. This training is required by the Health Information Privacy and Compliance Office (HIPCO). (Course Number: HIP24)
     

Visiting Medical Students

The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Women's Health accepts visiting medical students from domestic LCME-accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada on a select basis. International medical students may also be accepted if a formal agreement exists between their medical school and the University of Minnesota and they have met prerequisite coursework. Visiting medical students may apply for our year 3 and year 4 electives through VSAS.

Please be advised, visiting students that are invited to participate in an elective course through the OB department are not guaranteed an invitation to interview with the residency program.

For more information on the application procedure please visit this page: Visiting Medical Students.
 

Postgraduate/GME

Due to the highly competitive nature of opportunities for those in formal training programs, we are unable to offer shadowing and observation programs for postgraduate trainees. However, individual faculty may accept postgraduate trainees on an extremely limited basis due to alumni connection, research sponsorship, or mentoring/advising relationships. In these cases, the faculty member serves as the observer's sponsor, arranges the details of the observation experience, and ensures the observation agreement and other requirements are followed.

Note: Medical observer experiences do not meet the requirement of residency programs for clinical experience.
 

Visiting Medical Residents & Medical Fellows

Due to the highly competitive nature of opportunities for those in formal training programs, we are unable to offer shadowing and observation programs for visiting medical residents and fellows. However, individual faculty may accept postgraduate trainees on an extremely limited basis due to alumni connection, research sponsorship, or mentoring/advising relationships. In these cases, the faculty member serves as the observer's sponsor, arranges the details of the observation experience, and ensures the observation agreement and other requirements are followed.

Medical School Policy: med.umn.edu/gme/education/visiting-trainees.