Visiting Medical Students

Application Process

Final year students enrolled in good standing at an AACOM medical school must register through the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) Application Service for up to 2 clinical electives.

VSLO applications must document that student:

• Will be in their final year at the time of the elective and enrolled in good standing at an AACOM accredited medical school.
• Passing grade on the USMLE or COMLEX Step 1 examination
• Holds personal health insurance.
• Has coverage of medical liability and/or malpractice insurance held by the home school with coverage of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate.

The VSLO application must include a:

• Current transcript
• Photograph
• Curriculum Vitae
• BMC Security ID Form
• BMC Criminal Background Check Verification Form (uploaded by Medical School)*
• BMC Immunization Form or a school issued immunization certificate documenting all of the BMC requirements. (Please do not send entire medical history.)
• School-issued email address for contacting purposes.
• Performance evaluation form.
  * The Medical School must fill out and sign the BMC Criminal Background Check Verification Form. If the School has not run a criminal background check, then a BMC Criminal Background Release Form is required.

Incomplete applications will not be processed. Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing. Students must be fully registered at least 45 days prior to start date.

FEE: Within 10 days of acceptance, students must send a non-refundable processing fee of $106.00 total for all approved electives, up to 2 electives, to the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education. Failure to do so will result in the cancellation of the elective(s). This fee is in addition to the application fee paid directly to VSLO. Personal checks or money orders made payable to ‘Baystate Medical Center’ only please.

Approval

Once application is complete, notification of approval with an offer will be sent via email to your school-issued email address. You will have ONE week to accept or decline the offer before it expires.

Cancellation Policy

Students may cancel or reschedule up to 2 electives without penalty. A student will forfeit all future electives if they:

• Cancel an elective within 30 days of the start date.
• Cancel or reschedule a 4th elective without prior approval of the Chief Education Officer for Academic Affairs.
• Fail to report to their scheduled elective.

The following electives CANNOT be dropped:

• Emergency Medicine
• Infectious Disease
• Neurology
• High Risk Obstetrics
• Pediatrics Acting Internship 

Housing

Registered students are eligible for on-campus housing for up to 2 electives. The fee for on-campus housing is $250 for every 4 weeks.

Students from International Medical Schools must apply through the UMass Chan Medical School.

Visit the UMass Chan Medical School website for eligibility, application, requirements information, and fees for international students.

The Scholarship provides:

• Full reimbursement of airfare
• $500.00 food allowance
• Waived institutional fees
• Mentorship from UMass Chan - Baystate faculty—including nationally recognized experts in medical student advising—that focuses on application, clinical, and interview performance.

To be eligible for the Scholarship you must:

• Be a 4th year medical student enrolled in an LCME- or AACOM-accredited medical school
• Be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident
• Be in good academic standing
• Come from a background that is underrepresented in medicine as defined by the AAMC URiM criteria: "Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population."
• Be enrolled in any UMass Chan - Baystate elective or acting internship
• Fully comply with the requirements listed in the "How to Apply" section

Your application materials must be received at least two months prior to the start date of the elective.

1. Apply for an away rotation at UMass Chan - Baystate through the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities Application Service (VSLO).
2. Write an Essay answering this question (500 words or less):
   How will participating in the UMass Chan – Baystate URiM Scholarship Program advance your short- and long-term career aspirations as a physician?
3. Email your Essay, your Curriculum Vitae, and a Letter of Interest to: UndergraduateMedicalEducationUME@baystatehealth.org.

Your emailed application materials must be received at least two months prior to the start date of the elective or acting internship.

Baystate Medical Center has limited on-campus housing and parking for visiting medical students. Housing is available on a first come-first serve basis.

The Healthcare Education Office oversees four medical student houses located within a 3-minute walk of the main campus of the hospital. These historic homes, built in the early 1900s, are set up suite style, with approximately 3-5 individual bedrooms per floor. Each floor contains a kitchen, and bathroom. Each house has at least one living room with a large screen TV, basic cable, and wireless internet capability.

The houses are spacious and comfortable, allowing students the ability to both relax and study without the inconvenience of a long commute.

Cleaning staff oversees the daily upkeep of each house and provides students with a regular supply of bedroom linens and bathroom towels. Laundry facilities are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Engineering and Environmental Services Staff are available for housing issues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Directions and Parking for Baystate Medical Center

Parking is guaranteed for all of our medical students. Students are issued parking either directly behind their student houses (limited spots available) or adjacent to the hospital in a parking garage, or in shuttle lots.