Away Elective

You may take away electives at any of the more than 200 clinical institutions and hospitals with which we have affiliation agreements.

Approval of away electives are made on an individual basis, considering the academic value of the elective and your academic status.

Students have 11 months to complete 7 courses and must save time for interviews. Application dates vary from school to school. You may need to take a vacation month before or after an away elective rotation to fit their schedules.

Visit the VSLO List of Institutions to search for the application dates.

Learn more about the AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities Program (VSLO)

Eligibility

Only fourth-year students in good standing are eligible to take an away elective.

Requirements

A current affiliation agreement must be in place between UB and the training institution. Please refer to the affiliation agreement list below. If you do not see an agreement in place, please contact Kimberly Zosh in setting one up.

JSMBS Affiliation Agreement

No more than three away electives may be taken and no more than two away electives may be taken at the same institution (must be different clinical experiences).

Process

Application

  1. Discuss the possibility and advisability of taking an away elective in a comparable department with the appropriate Jacobs School department chair, course coordinator or OME Deans.
  2. A token is issued to your buffalo.edu email in February of your M3 year to access the VSLO application system. Tokens has a short lifespan, so please log in promptly to gain access.
  3. Log into VSLO|VSAS and apply for your desired away elective. Please refer to How to Use the VSLO Application Service on how to utilize the portal.
  4. Complete the VSAS Supporting Documents form which collects the required responses in support of your VSLO application(s):
    • Have you had ACLS training? If yes, provide expiration date.
    • Have you has BLS training? If yes, provide expiration date.
    • Have you had a recent criminal background check? (if required by the away institution)  If yes, when and send a copy.
  5. After applying for the rotation, we will upload your transcript and any other supporting documents that you need for your VSLO application(s).
VSAS Supporting Documents Form

Acceptance to an Away Elective

  1. You will receive confirmation on whether you were accepted into the away elective.
  2. Upon acceptance, you must complete the Away Elective Form to get your away elective registration made and respective department notified.  
  3. Provide an evaluation form to the instructor for your away elective to complete before you leave the away institution.
Student Evaluation Form for Away Elective
Away Elective Form

Contact

Send all correspondence about away electives to Ricki Chen.